


you don't own me (but u do)

by hornyburnish



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Age Difference, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Anal Sex, Blackmail, Dirty Talk, Drug Use, Dubious Consent, Dysfunctional Relationships, M/M, Manipulation, Nipple Play, No Aftercare, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Prostate Massage, Size Difference, Size Kink, coerced sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2020-12-24 16:46:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21102713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hornyburnish/pseuds/hornyburnish
Summary: Kray Foresight is the richest man in the world. Lio Fotia is going to ruin his life. If Kray doesn't ruin his first.(The weirdest Sugar Baby AU no one asked for but me)





	1. you don't own me

**Author's Note:**

> title is a bad riff of 'you don't own me' by lesley gore.
> 
> brief re: tags at the end. please remember to suspend your disbelief at the door.

“Fuck,” Lio hissed, glaring at the flashing red screen on the tablet balanced precariously on one hand. This  _ should _ be working. He had been planning this, extensively, for ages. He hadn’t ever spent so much time on any one target. He was usually in and out, bouncing from target-to-target and gathering as much information as he could and sending it back to whoever had . . . commissioned his talents. If it was something he was working on on his own, he’d drop it off at the door of the most relevant law enforcement or news agency, which one he picked depended on his mood and the case. The point was, he got information and handed it off to other people. He had  _ certainly _ had never got so personally involved in one of his targets that he deemed it necessary to physically break into their home to get the final piece de résistance that he needed to seal the case.

He was ready to move on with his life, he didn’t want to spend  _ any _ more time dwelling on the thoughts and deeds of Kray Foresight, who, for all intents and purposes, was a terrible man with a terrible company and absolutely no ethical or moral code to speak of. Lio knew--he had seen the ins-and-outs of all of his personal financials, had read every text and email he could find. He even knew the details of Kray’s sordid history, from the details of the porn he watched, to the names of all of his former paramours (and Lio knew exactly how badly each of those relationships had ended). Kray might put on a pretty smile and a polished exterior for the interviews and articles, manage to look just as together for the paparazzi and the random people snapping pictures of him when they ran into him, but Lio knew it was all a facade. Underneath the highly publicized charitable donations was a veritable monster of a man.

And Lio was going to, had planned on, bringing him down. He had mountains of evidence, but had apparently gotten too cocky. He had only wanted  _ one more thing _ to really put the nail in Kray’s coffin. But to get that last piece of evidence, he needed to get in Kray’s apartment. These documents didn’t exist digitally, were only vaguely referenced in one of Kray’s poorly secured letters to an attorney. And Lio had been  _ so _ patient, waiting until all of the pieces fell into just the right place for Lio to topple them over. Kray had left on a business trip, last minute, the building was undergoing maintenance so it was easier to sneak in, he had bypassed the building’s security systems to even get up to Kray’s floor. Lio had been so prepared, he had paid extra attention to studying the security systems, highly customized and individually done for Kray, on Kray’s door. Finding an exploit had  _ not _ been easy, but he had done it. It should have worked, this should be easy. If anyone would have been able to do it, it would have been him.

Glaring down at the tablet screen, furiously tapping away and trying to figure out exactly  _ what _ was going on, he didn’t even notice the quiet whir of the elevator down the hall. He  _ had _ set up emergency monitoring that should have alerted him if his window of opportunity was closing, but he had focused so intently on the screen he was on that the quiet notifications didn’t catch his attention. In the end, it wasn’t until the elevator pinged and the doors glided open that he realized he was actually, well and truly, screwed.

Lio had never seen Kray Foresight in person. He had seen him in photographs, sure, knew that he was tall compared to most people. He had broad shoulders and a broad chest, he was clearly in good physical shape and took care of himself. It was a meticulously crafted public image that was so perfect that Lio didn’t know how  _ everyone _ didn’t realize how fake it was. Yet, Kray Foresight was as much flesh and blood as any man, walking down the hall with steps that should be booming, but were quiet and controlled. Lio, objectively, knew that Kray was taller than him but hadn’t expected the difference to be quite so imposing if he ever were to meet Kray in person, although before now he certainly hadn’t expected to.

There were three exits: the emergency stairwell, the elevator, and the door to Kray’s apartment, which wasn’t quite so much an exit, but at least it would be a way to put more space between them. There was no way he was going to get by Kray. Lio was fast, but no way was he fast enough to just slip by Kray without him being able to catch a fistfull of his leather jacket, or to grab him by his hood, or anything that he was wearing. 

Kray might have said something, but it was static in Lio’s brain as he jammed at the tablet, whirring around as fast as he could, sighing with relief as the electronic lock finally clicked open. He slipped inside as soon as he could get the door open, his tablet skittering across the floor in his haste to get in and he slammed the door shut behind him.

But it didn’t shut, despite him pushing against it with his whole body, digging in with the heels of his boots. He looked down--Kray had closed the distance, jammed one foot in the door. A million and a half things ran through Lio’s head all at once--he was going to end up in jail, or dead, or both. Getting caught here meant that his tablet was here, and he had encrypted it well, but someone would eventually find a way to get into it, given enough time, and everything he knew and had done to get to this point would be tacked onto a neat list of charges that would all end up with him in a high security prison with no access to a computer for the rest of his god given life. Or worse. He thinks of some of Kray’s less savory dealings, the mysterious deaths, piling up in the wake of his business over the last twenty years of his meteoric rise. 

“You might as well let me in. I think we have a very interesting conversation ahead of us,” he sounded so calm and collected it was almost unnerving. Lio didn’t know why he had expected anything less modulated, considering how carefully Kray had crafted every other aspect of his appearance. 

“Sure. A conversation.” Lio bit back, rolling his eyes. How on earth was this man so calm for someone who was back at home, three hours after he was supposed to be on a plane with a destination halfway across the country? Lio had checked the travel logs to be sure--Kray had boarded the plane, air traffic control had recorded it as departing at 7:32pm. He had  _ checked _ .

But here Kray was, not on a plane, not en route to Chicago, and Lio’s carefully planned hack hadn’t worked until he had arrived. When Kray wanted it to work. What a dumb mistake, somehow Kray  _ knew _ he was coming. How?

Lio looked around, taking in the clean modern sight of Kray’s immaculate apartment. Lio was familiar with the blue prints, but not the decor. It was all clean lines and modern--it looked more like an advertisement or a magazine spread than a place someone actually lived in. Kray may try to even keep his appearances up at home, but he couldn’t hide from Lio. Lio knew  _ everything _ . Except for how Kray knew he was coming.

“I’m not going to ask again,” Kray said, voice only slightly muffled from behind the door, as it curled around the opening. He wasn’t trying to push through. He was waiting. He knew he had limited options here, that, eventually, Lio was going to have to let him in, one way or another. And Lio  _ knew _ that he had successfully disabled the security systems outside that might have alerted the police to an unauthorized entry attempt, but Kray most certainly had a phone, and Lio hadn’t done anything that would compromise it because Kray wasn’t even supposed to  _ be _ here.  _ Shit _ .

Lio dove for his tablet, relieved that the screen flickered on, even though the screen had been cracked when it hit the floor. He held onto it like a lifeline, fingers worrying over the cracked plastic on the back of it as he steeled himself while Kray Foresight entered the room, towering above him and twice his size. Kray closed the door behind him, swiping his hand over the display panel next to it. There was a glare from the overhead lights, Lio couldn’t see what it said, but he could hear the tumblers of the locks sliding, the definitive  _ click _ . Trapped.

“I have to admit, you weren’t quite what I expected,” Kray said, moving in closer to him. Lio didn’t give up any ground though, he  _ did _ have some leverage here, even if it wasn’t everything he might have liked to have. He had to remember that--there would still be consequences for Kray if anything were to happen to him. This was a less than ideal situation, but he had backup plans. He had fail-safes, and he could use those to get out of here. Once he was out of here? He would run. He had done it before and he could do that again.

“So you were expecting me?” Lio asked, fishing, as if it weren’t obvious. Kray didn’t stop until he’s barely a hair’s width away. Lio had to look up at him. He could practically feel his body heat, could smell his cologne. Lio couldn’t recall what it was, had seen it at some point looking through receipts, but he knew it was expensive, it smelled like oud and bergamot.

“Not you, I'll admit,” Kray replied, “But I have been aware for some time that I was being watched. I hardly expected it to be this easy to bait you out.” 

As it for emphasis, as if he had won already, Kray reached out to Lio to grab the tablet from him. Lio held onto it pulling it against his chest and locking his arms close, sneering up at Kray. “However you found out I would be here doesn’t even matter. I’m leaving now.”

“We’re hardly done here.” Kray said, almost gently, but it came out so mocking, as he moved his hand to brush against the shaved side of Lio’s head. It sent a shiver down Lio’s spine, to feel the fingertips against his scalp. He jerked away, taking a step back and out of Kray’s reach. He could give a step.

“Don’t touch me,” He warned, voice coming out in a low hiss, “If  _ anything _ happens to me, everything I know about you  _ will _ get released. And I know everything. Trust me, you don’t want that all over the morning headlines, do you?”

“You may know everything . . . except for how I caught you,” Kray looked  _ smug _ . It wasn’t that Lio hadn’t seen him look pretty damn pleased with himself in photographs before, this expression seemed much,  _ much _ different. There was something much more sinister lurking behind it, or maybe it was how close he was, or the angle from which Lio saw it. Or maybe it was just that he knew Kray was an evil son-of-a-bitch and, for now, Lio’s life was very much in real and considerable danger until he got out of here. 

“I don’t care. I’m leaving.” He did, in fact, care how Kray had caught him, but he could worry about it later. There was no way he should have been caught, but he could retrace his steps later and worry about that when he was safely laying low in an entirely different country. Sure Kray had reach pretty much everywhere, but Lio did, too, as long as there was internet. 

Lio brushed past him, narrowly avoiding checking him with his shoulder as he moved last Kray and towards the door. He may be smaller than him but he could use confidence in his favor too. “You can let me out the easy way, or I can just override it myself. Your choice.” Lio offered, generously, putting on an air of impatience. The initial panic of getting caught was subsiding, making way for Lio’s confidence that he knew considerably more about Kray than Kray knew about him. Kray might cut a more physically imposing figure, but when it came down to it, Lio was the one with the power here.

Kray just laughed, had the nerve to sound  _ amused _ . Lio tried not to let it phase him, kept his shoulders back and stared at Kray, waiting expectantly for him to actually answer, “Well?”

“It’s amusing that you think that bluff might work. I don’t suppose you usually spent much physically confronting your victims, do you?” 

“Really?” Lio asked, incredulous, “You want to call yourself a victim? After all that you’ve done? I told you I know everything. You’re a monster, not a victim.” Lio could strip him of every last penny to his and his company’s name, and nothing would change that. This wasn’t a crime, this was  _ justice _ .

“If I’m a monster, then you should know that you’re not leaving so easily,” The implied threat clung to his voice, sinister. It was still eerie hearing him in person, sounding  _ so _ differently compared to the video clips Lio had gathered from the news and interviews. Here, he sounded much more like the person Lio knew than he was, ruthless. “After all, if I were to let you go, what’s to say you wouldn’t just release it all in the first place?”

“Honor among thieves. I’ll consider not releasing what I know the price I pay for getting caught,” Lio replied, shrugging his shoulders, acting as if he hadn’t spent the last six months obsessing over every detail of Kray Foresight, and his life, and his company, pouring over every piece of data that he could get to try to pull together something solid enough to pin Kray down. But Kray, presumably, didn’t know exactly how long he had been working on this. 

“Hmph,” Kray seemed to find that pretty amusing, too. “I’m afraid it isn’t quite that simple. I’m going to need something from you, a token of good faith that you won’t back down on that promise.”

Lio rolled his eyes, he even  _ talked _ like a super villain. He thought he was so clever, had this whole situation in his hands. “What do you want, my wallet?” Lio plucked it from a compartment of the bag slung across his shoulder. There was nothing in it but some cash and a fake ID, Kray wouldn’t get very much information with that. Lio waved it in front of him. “Take it. I’m leaving.” He repeated, firmer this time, glaring up at Kray, daring him for another challenge. Kray was right, there was nothing that was going to stop Lio from releasing the information, but he could always find ways to make it much, much worse for Kray if he kept him up here much longer.

Kray did pluck the wallet from his hands, opened it up, and studied the fake license. “You don’t look much like an Elliot,” Kray finally said, looking at Lio as if he were appraising him.

“I’m sure you’re a very good judge of character and namest,” Lio looked down at his tablet, angled it carefully away from Kray so he could keep his grip on it if Kray made a grab for it. The display flickered as he unlocked it, but it was still functional enough to pull up his terminal, access what the screen he had been on before that gave him access to Kray’s security system. He was acutely aware of Kray watching him as he clicked through screens, couldn’t miss the upturned corner of his mouth as the display flashed red. 

Ah. He must have let him in before, it wasn’t that Lio had fixed the code. The pieces slotted into place. If it was only Kray that new about him, and it must be only Kray or there would be police here already, he must have been found out when he was digging into the security system. It had been internally designed by Foresight Industries, so it wouldn’t be  _ too _ surprising if they warned Kray of any of the vulnerabilities before going to the police. Especially since it was unlikely that anyone would even attempt to break in to Kray’s apartment in the first place. He wasn’t sure exactly what he had done that would have alerted anyone that he had been digging around, but he could worry about that later. 

“Fine. What do you want, Kray?” He spat out his name like the venom it tasted like. He should have been more careful. He shouldn’t have gotten greedy, he already had enough information. Probably.

“A conversation. Come sit with me,” Kray gestured to the couch as he turned and walked over towards it. It was all clean lines, white leather--it hardly looked like it had ever been sat in. The whole place looked so immaculate it was remarkable that a human being actually lived here. “Would you like a drink?”

“No,” Lio said sharply, following him over, regrettably. He was here until Kray opened the damn door or Lio had time to actually figure out how to open it himself, which he didn’t imagine Kray was going to give him. 

“You may not be a traditional guest, but I’m not going to poison you.” Lio watched as he walked over to the bar in the corner of the room. Despite Lio’s refusal, he took two glasses down, was careful to keep the angle of his body so Lio could watch him pour two fingers of whiskey into each glass. Lio caught the label and balked. 

“Do you usually serve $100,000 whiskey to people who try to break into your apartment?” He asked, sure that his incredulity still showed on his face, as he unbuckled the bag that had been slung around his shoulders and stuffed the tablet inside before he sat down on the couch. It was more comfortable than he might have expected, it was deceptively easy to sink into the leather, to swing his boots up onto the glass coffee table.

“Most people who would even think about it wouldn’t get this far,” Kray replied, offering him a glass.

“You first.” Lio said, watching Kray intently as he took a sip of the whiskey. When he was satisfied, he plucked the glass from Kray’s hand, leaning back again. 

“You should try it, what do you think?” Kray asked, as he sat far enough away to be reasonable, but also far closer than he needed to, considering how big the couch was. That there was still more than an arms width of space between them was enough for Lio, for now.

Lio considered the glass, the situation, and took a drink of the whiskey. In for a penny, in for a pound. He didn’t have anything to by trying it, except the chance to try it. But honestly? Lio wouldn’t know the difference between a $20 bottle of whiskey and a $50 bottle. This was probably wasted on him. 

“It’s alright,” He admitted, leaving it at that. 

“It can be an acquired taste,” Kray said, so condescending, as if Lio was some child that didn’t know how to handle his alcohol. Lio took another sip, letting the taste roll across his tongue, fill his mouth. Warm, smoky notes of vanilla, sweet oak. He savored the smooth bite of the liquor as he swallowed.

“Do you need some kind of validation that the money was worth it?” Lio asked, propping his elbow on the back of the couch and resting his head against his hand as he watched Kray. Even here in the confines of his own home, he was good at keeping his image up. He had barely shown any frustration or annoyance at Lio at all, which was honestly more unnerving than if he had just snapped the minute he got him inside and locked the door. Lio knew what he was like, was waiting for it, preparing.

“Hardly.” Kray was watching him. It made the hairs on the back of Lio’s neck stand, a little, as if he wasn't wearing his jacket and his hoodie, still. “So,  _ Elliot _ ,” he enunciated the name clearly, giving Lio a pointed look. “Why don’t you tell me why you came here tonight?”

“I was just out for a stroll and saw the door open. Thought it might be nice to get out of the chill for a while.” 

“There’s no need to be childish,”  _ There _ was a hint of frustration, just a hint of it, but still wrapped up in that perfectly polished public image.

“It’s not being childish, its being obstinate. Besides, you’re the one hiding behind a mask,” Lio retorted. He knew it was probably foolish to egg him on like this, but he was curious. He had made it this far and if he was stuck here, he might as well try to bait him. What was Kray going to do? It still wasn’t going to be in Kray’s best interests to kill him. Having a body on his hands would be messy, no matter how rich he was.

“You really want to push your luck don’t you?” Kray asked. He drank another sip of his whiskey and leaned forward, sat his glass of whiskey on the coffee table. He shifted closer, and Lio let him. Watched as Kray placed his hand on Lio’s leg, just above his knee. Even through the denim, his hand felt scalding, was big enough to span the width of Lio’s thigh. “Is this the kind of man you think I am?” He was close enough that Lio could smell the whiskey on his breath.

“I know about you. I know exactly what kind of man you are.” He didn’t flinch at the touch, didn’t budge an inch. He wasn’t going to give Kray the pleasure of thinking he was bothered, even though his heart was speeding up, pounding against his chest.

Kray slid his hand up Lio’s thigh, the touch was heavy handed, firm, Lio was about to reach up and bat him away, and then Kray pulled back, as suddenly as he had reached in.

“Think whatever you like about me. I’m only fucking you if you ask for it.” 

Lio couldn’t help his reaction, bursting out into laughter, nearly spilling his drink as he leaned forward with the force of it, “That’s  _ rich _ , you really think I would  _ ever _ ?” He asked through the laughter, the idea was  _ absurd _ .

But then, that  _ smug  _ look was back on that perfect, punchable face. Something in Lio’s stomach sunk. 

“It’s one option, out of two. You could ask me, nicely, to fuck you. Or the off-duty detectives sitting in a car on the street will be notified of the break in.” 

Off-duty. He had only checked to make sure there were no active patrol cars parked in the area, had even diverted the one that was a little too close for comfort. It had been simple.

“Remember what I said about getting out of here? If I’m arrested everything I know about you is released.”

Kray picked his glass up again. He made a show of considering it carefully, tipping it back and finishing the rest. “And you have to consider, that not releasing the information would give the authorities less evidence and less reason to look into you more closely. And if you  _ did _ decide not to comply . . . A lot can happen between here and the police station. I wonder how much it would take to make you break.” 

“You’re bluffing,” Lio said, knowing full well that he wasn’t. Kray had deep ties, and even deeper pockets. It likely would have been nothing to quietly have some of those connections make a call, ask for a favor. Pay an untold sum of money to have them sit and wait on Kray, hand and foot. Maybe a little extra favor for some more . . . creative methods of ensuring someone’s cooperation. Until Kray opened that door, or Lio was able to get him incapacitated somehow, he was at his mercy.

“I told you not to be childish.” Kray replied, pulling his cellphone out of his pants pocket. He unlocked it, tapped away at some passwords, and pulled up a video monitor of the street outside. Lio could recognize the sign from the front of Kray’s building in the feed, a black SUV, sitting across the street. Kray zoomed in so that Lio could clearly see two men in the front seats. The feed was blurry, but the tactical vests they were wearing were obvious.

“Say I did take option one, what’s to stop you from calling them right after anyway?” 

“What was it you said before? Ah, that’s right. Honor among thieves.”

Lio wanted to curse under his breath, lash out, hit Kray, do  _ something _ . He was trapped in this stupid situation because of his own carelessness. Somewhere along the way he had gotten sloppy, too invested to carefully cover up his tracks. That he only had an idea of what had happened, and didn’t know exactly, told him that much.  _ Fuck Kray Foresight _ . 

Lio downed the rest of his whiskey like a shot, briefly wished there was more. He considered throwing the glass at the wall of windows across from them, but settled for the satisfying clunk of slamming it onto the glass table as he swung his legs off of it and stood up. He enjoyed the brief moment where he towered over Kray, before he climbed over him, straddled him and sunk onto his lap. The moment stretched on, Kray looked so fucking pleased with himself. Lio wanted to wipe the expression off his face.

“Fine.” Lio said, practically spitting out the word, jaw set. Kray could do what he wanted, but Lio was going to get out of here, alive and free. He would get everything he needed together, get the hell out of the country, and then he was going to ruin Kray Foresight’s life. So what if a little sex stood in his way? Lio would play along until he could get out of here.

“I told you,  _ Elliot _ , you’re going to have to ask me nicely.” Kray’s smile was insidious. What reaction did he expect from this? Lio wasn’t going to get teary eyed for him, he knew what he was getting into. 

“Won’t you please fuck me?” He asked, mockingly, glaring at Kray, bitterly, as he did.

“That will have to be a good enough start for now.”  _ Now, _ he moved to touch Lio, both hands reaching around to grab his ass, to keep Lio firmly planted on his lap. His hands completely covered him, and absolutely  _ nothing _ stirred up in Lio because of that, “Why don’t you go ahead and take off that jacket and your sweater?”

Lio huffed, shrugged off his jacket, and dropped it on the floor, the buckles clanging together as it fell. He stripped the hoodie off, threw it down too. He stopped there, left in just the nondescript black t-shirt he had been wearing underneath it. He wasn’t going to go above and beyond to make this easy for Kray, and he wasn’t going to give him a show.

“The shirt too.” Lio rolled his eyes and took it off, watched as Kray’s eyes raked over him, stalled on the tattoo of neon flames on his arm, the curl of a dragon tale that peeked around his ribs. It wasn’t like he had really thought he’d be able to stay mostly clothed, but he loathed the way it was clear Kray was memorizing, categorizing the identifying marks. One more thing that could be used against Lio.

“A shame,” Kray muttered, tracing one finger over the ink on his ribs, watching his own hand as he settled it on Lio’s hip.

“I’m sorry my personal choices offend you.” Lio said sarcastically, “Are you going to draw this out all night, or are you going to get on with it and fuck me?”

“I didn’t realize you were so eager to have me inside you.” It was utterly  _ jarring  _ to hear Kray keep on speaking like that. All of his soundbytes were scrubbed so clean, he usually packaged himself like a family man, even. Yet, here he was.

“Fuck you. I  _ only _ want this over with.” And the sooner, the better.

“Unfortunately for you, I plan on taking my time with you.” Because of  _ course _ he wanted to drag it on, make it even more humiliating. He should feel lucky Lio had even managed to fuck up enough to give him this chance, it wasn’t like Kray had orchestrated anything here. He had just gotten lucky. “Stand up, turn around. I’d like to see you.” 

Lio did as Kray said, he felt ridiculous. Like some kind of toy that Kray wanted to thoroughly inspect. Kray leaned forward, again, traced the outline of the dragon that curled down his back and across his side. It was colored in bright purples, pinks and teals, it matched the flame on his arm. This one was a little older, the colors a little more faded. He had been meaning to take some time to get them touched up soon, but it was quality work--he knew it was still bright, probably looked garrish to Kray’s . . . pristine tastes. The touch was light enough to send a shiver down Lio’s spine, it left him feeling exposed, vulnerable, to have his back to Kray like this. He crossed his arms put on a show of being exasperated. 

“What? You don’t seem like the type to dislike being admired,” Kray hadn’t stopped touching him, kept a hand on his hip as he stood up, towering over Lio, an imposing presence against his back. Lio watched his face through the distorted reflection on the windows. Kray touched him casually, tipped Lio’s head back by his chin. His hand covered his throat. Lio supposed that should be frightening.

“I’d rather not have your eyes on me at all.” He said, uncomfortably aware of the solid wall of Kray’s body pressed against his back. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Kray said. It sounded like a warning and a threat all rolled into one. “Come with me.” It wasn’t as if Lio had a choice, because Kray’s hand moved from his throat to the small of his back, guiding him away from the couch and towards the stairs. 

The bedroom was practically spartan and, much like the rest of his home, looked barely lived in. The room was mostly open, another wall of windows giving a good eye onto the city below. The precisely made bed was massive, separated from the rest of the room by a dividing column that housed a fireplace that flickered on when they entered the room. On the other side there was a sitting area that looked particularly unused--a sleek white leather couch that matched the one downstairs and a few chairs. It was all sterile, slightly varying shades of white and light gray. 

Kray didn’t stop them until they were close to the bed, finally took his hand from Lio’s back, “You can go ahead and finish undressing, now.” He said, as if he wasn’t basically ordering Lio around. 

“What are you going to do, keep your clothes on the whole time?” Lio asked, bending down to start undoing the buckles and laces on his boots.

“Are you that eager to see me undressed?”

“Hardly,” Lio replied dryly, stepping out of one boot and starting to work on the other. This entire situation was starting to feel comical. He was taking his boots off in Kray Foresight’s bedroom, while Kray stared at his ass. He kicked off the second boot when he was done unlacing it, inelegant, stripping off his socks and leaving everything on the floor where it landed. He really was  _ not _ going to put on a show. If that’s what Kray wanted, he was going to have to make him. 

When he stood back up to undo his jeans, he saw Kray was, in fact, working on undressing himself. Undoing the cuffs on his shirt sleeves, then going down the line of buttons on his shirt. Lio watched from the corner of his eye, pushing his jeans down off his hips and stepping out of them, as Kray stripped his shirt off, idly draping it over the bench at the foot of the bed. 

Lio had seen enough pictures of Kray to know that he had, quite frankly, ridiculous proportions. Wide shoulders, a deep chest, a comparatively small waist. It was something else to see him in person, with his shirt off, undoing his pants. Kray wasn’t Lio’s type, at all, but that wasn’t to say he couldn’t see the appeal in it. He had certainly been acutely aware, this entire time, that Kray could easily throw him around. Definitely, a certain type of appeal. If the man wasn’t evil personified, anyway. Everything Lio knew about him was overlaid over any of the visuals that he might have been able to appreciate in any other circumstance.

“No need to be shy, you might as well take those off to,” Kray said, looking pointedly at the black boxer-briefs Lio was still wearing. 

Lio glared, staring intently at Kray as he shoved them off and tossed them into the pile with his other things. “Happy now?” He asked, trying not to feel as exposed as he did, standing nude in front of Kray Foresight, in his bedroom. 

But that was the thing--he did feel exposed. Lio wore his clothes and layers like armor, and now they were spread across Kray’s floor and couldn’t help him. Even an outfit as relatively low key as the one had been wearing tonight was enough to help him feel put together, in control of himself and everything around him. Now there was nothing to protect him from Kray, from Kray’s eyes raking over his body as he finished undressing himself, perfunctory and neatly laying his clothes in contrast to Lio’s haphazard disposal.

And then Kray was undressed too, and, for a moment, it felt like an entirely different type of stand off. There was hardly anything erotic about it, the tension was so thick. And then, something in Lio’s self control snapped and he finally let himself  _ really _ look at Kray. The swell of his pecs, the planes of his stomach, leading down to his cock. Something like nervous anticipation made Lio’s stomach tighten, a brief thought, there was no way Kray was even going to be able to fit that inside of him. Lio snapped his eyes back up, looking away and  _ refusing _ to acknowledge the amusement in Kray’s eyes. 

“Why don’t you lay down, and make yourself comfortable.” Kray said, phrasing it like a question but speaking it like an order. Lio felt dwarfed by the size of the bed too, and somehow it wasn’t sitting on Kray’s lap, or stripping down in front of him, but it was lying down on his bed and propping himself up against his pillows that made it really sink in. He was about to let Kray Foresight fuck him. None of this was some twisted nightmare, it was real and it was happening, and he had made this choice and he could only hope that it really was his best option, to lay there and watch as Kray pulled out a bottle of lube and a condom.

The bed hardly sank under Kray’s weight when he sat down, running a hand down Lio’s thigh. This wasn’t like the light touches downstairs, Kray wasn’t trying to unnerve him anymore, and if he was trying to get under his skin it was in an entirely different way. Kray moving him how he wanted, urging Lio to spread his thighs apart with a firm, steady pressure. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been aware of how much larger than him Kray was at every turn, but like this he felt positively small, dwarfed by the bed and by Kray. 

“Get on with it, already.” He was starting to feel antsy, like this. Something uneasy shifting in his belly, his heart skittering along faster as Kray loomed over him. 

“I already told you, I’m going to be taking my time with you,” Kray said, as if it were a gentle reminder, “You might as well relax, then you might actually be able to enjoy it as I take you apart.” It sounded like a threat and a promise, rolled into one, in Kray’s too-calm voice. 

“As if you possibly could,” Lio couldn’t stop himself, something about Kray brought out the absolute worst in him. He knew that he shouldn’t purposefully trying to egg him on, but it was worth it for the momentary twitch in Kray’s expression. 

He didn’t say anything though, didn’t rise up to Lio’s bait. Instead, Kray just touched him, running his hand along Lio’s thigh, over his hip. He was touching Lio like he was trying to map out his body. Kray wasn’t hesitant, but his touch was light, barely any pressure. A ghost of a feeling, enough to make Lio get goosebumps, have him feeling on edge and off kilter as Kray touched him. Lio hardly wanted to reciprocate, didn’t want to touch Kray more than he had to, but the result had him feeling pinned down, on display for Kray to look at him and do whatever he liked.

“Starting to feel sensitive?” Kray asked in response to Lio’s twitch as he brushed a thumb over his nipple.

“Fuck off,” Lio huffed, trying to act like he wasn’t. He certainly wasn’t going to admit that he was starting to feel sensitive, with Kray looming over him, covering him with his hands. Just the right amount of not-enough pressure to make Lio want more, an edge of frustration that Kray was insistent on taking this so slow, drawing it out for the sole purpose of humiliating Lio even more.

“You’re easier than I thought you’d be,” Kray said, idly, hand lingering, lightly pinching, still enough to make Lio fight the urge to squirm under him. He was watching Lio’s, watching his face, that first creeping hint of a flush starting to bloom across his cheeks. Lio looked away, he didn’t want to meet that steady, intent gaze.

Lio had something ready to say, he did, but it was cut off by a gasp as Kray leaned in, and took his other nipple in his mouth, running his tongue over it. There was the delicate pressure of teeth, not enough to hurt, but enough to have Lio arching into for half a moment before he stopped himself. Kray took it as a challenge, used more teeth, more tongue until, until Lio’s breath was coming out in a stuttering gasp. It wasn’t enough for him though, he moved to the other side, giving it the same attention at first, until the sharp bite of his teeth had Lio arching sharply up against him, trying to bite back a strangled moan, finally pushing his hands up to touch Kray, not sure whether he was trying to push him away or pull him in closer. 

Kray didn’t pull away from him, but dragged his lips up along Lio’s throat. His mouth felt hot like a brand against Lio’s skin, lips over his chest, shoulder, throat. He bit down, worrying flesh between teeth, and Lio dug his fingers into Kray’s shoulders, into thick muscle. Lio didn’t want to think about the bruise that was going to blossom across his throat tomorrow, a reminder.

“That’s better,” Kray said, smiling as he pulled back to look at Lio again.

“Just get on with it,” Lio said, trying to sound more put together than he felt. His voice caught once, as Kray pinched nipple one last time before he trailed his hand down to Lio’s belly.

“If you insist.” Kray grabbed the bottle of lube that he had thrown on the bed earlier, uncapped it, spread some over his fingers. Lio’s breath caught as Kray reached down to touch his cock. Kray’s hand covered him perfectly, but his grip was too loose for Lio to really get anything from. He circled his thumb over the head of his cock, smirking as Lio’s hips stuttered into his hand. He was stringing Lio along again, coaxing out reactions and then doubling down on anything that made Lio breathless. A finger teasing along the vein on the underside of Lio’s cock, a tight hand around him. Every time Lio thought he might be able to settle into the pleasure and ride it, Kray would start doing something a little different, it was like whiplash. Kray had settled his free hand on Lio’s hip, only ever applying enough pressure to keep him from pushing up too much. Lio’s skin was starting to feel too tight, he was getting even more frustrated.

“Stop  _ teasing _ ,” Lio tried to sound exasperated, hated that he knew he didn’t. 

“You’re hardly in a position to be giving orders,” Kray’s hand squeezed around him, only just on the side of too tight. Lio couldn’t hold back the sound of mingled pleasure and pain ripped from his throat, couldn’t keep himself from twisting under Kray. “Much better,” His voice was a pleased rumble, voice deeper than it had been before, “Now, isn’t there something you want to ask me?”

It took Lio a moment.

“ _ No _ ,” Lio glared at Kray, he didn’t care if he was hard and aching now, if Kray was finding out ways to make him squirm and moan. He wasn’t going to  _ beg _ Kray to fuck him. 

“You’re only make this harder on yourself,” He sounded disappointed, it made grated against Lio’s nerves. Kray pulled his hand away, Lio bit his lower lip to stop the no-doubt embarrassing sound he might have made. “But there is something to be said for getting to chip away at each piece of you, one by one.” 

Despite what he said, Lio wondered if Kray’s patience was drawing thin too. He didn’t hesitate to push Lio where he wanted now, pulling his body down the bed and pushing his legs up. Lio huffed but didn’t fight it, if there was any fun in this it was making Kray work, even if it ended up with Lio on his back with Kray between his legs. When Kray touched him this time, though, he moved his hand lower, rubbing one finger over Lio’s hole, not quite pressing in. Kray didn’t give him any space to move, was holding him down with a hand on his hip again. Lio had no room to move, twist his hips, to either get away or get closer. It was  _ maddening _ .

“Fucking do it already,” Lio hissed, clenching a hand in the sheets. 

“You’re supposed to be asking me nicely, but seeing how flustered you are I suppose I can take some pity on you,” Kray pushed in, then, taking his time, still teasing. He was prodding at Lio, trying to make him squirm. Lio held on as long as he could, but Kray found what he was looking for.

Lio couldn’t help the moan that slipped out of his mouth at Kray’s first touch of his prostate, it felt electric. His hips were only kept in place by Kray’s hand on him. Kray didn’t stop though, he kept applying a steady pressure, pressing into him intently. Lio cursed under his breath, wasn’t even conscious of bringing his arm up to cover his face, at first until Kray told him to move it back down, said, “There’s no point in trying to hide your pleasure from me. I told you I was going to take you apart.”

And he was. Lio tried not to sink into the sensation, but it was nearly impossible. Kray was attentive and focused on him, kept Lio in place as he continued to massage Lio’s prostate. The pleasure built slowly, but Lio couldn’t hide it or hold it back. Kray added another finger, more lube, another finger, but only ever let up on the pressure for a moment. Lio was breathing hard, twisting underneath him, digging his heels into the bed. It was too much, not enough,  _ perfect _ . The pleasure felt like it might crest at any moment, his cock was leaking pre-cum against his belly, he felt pulled thin, like he might snap.

Then it was gone, and Lio cried out before he could stop himself, trying to drive his hips back to chase the feeling as Kray pulled his hand away. Lio pressed his head back against the pillow, screwed his eyes shut. 

“Fuck me,” He said, still catching his breath. His voice sounded raw, even to himself, his heart was hammering in his chest. He knew Kray could keep playing this game, and Lio distantly realized he had lost so long ago. Kray was getting everything he wanted and more, wringing Lio dry. Kray would gladly keep going until there was nothing left, if Lio let him.

“Almost there,” Lio didn’t need to open his eyes, could hear the mockery dripping from Kray’s voice as he petted along Lio’s side. 

“Please,” Lio choked out, glad that at least his face couldn’t get any redder from the embarrassment of it. Still, there was no denying, that even as Kray wrenched this out, he did want it. The realization of just how badly he wanted it hit him out of nowhere. It wasn’t just that Kray had been coaxing pleasure out of him for god knows how long, he wanted _ Kray _ , covering him, towering over him, stuffing him to the brim. 

“Please,” he repeated, “Fuck me.” The words spilled out of his mouth, no trace of the bitterness that he wanted to feel, only desperation.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” The mockery stung at Lio’s pride, but it was too late to do anything about that. Could only wrench open his eyes, blinking, even in the dimmed lights, as he watched Kray grab the condom, open the packet, and put it on. He spread more lube over his cock, before he pulled Lio in by his hips. For a moment, Lio thought he was going to drag it out more, make Lio beg again, but then Kray started to press into him. He kept Lio still, a grip so tight on his hips that Lio was sure there would be bruises tomorrow. Lio wrapped a leg around him, digging the heel of his foot into Kray’s back, urging him in further. 

Lio was breathing hard by the time Kray was fully inside him, and while Lio was sure he looked like a mess, Kray still looked nearly perfect. He’d be infuriated if he could focus on anything but how full he felt. Kray didn’t wait long for him to get used to the sensation, but at least started slow as he rocked his hips into Lio. 

“Look at you,” Kray said, sounding so pleased with himself. He grabbed Lio’s hand from the sheets, pulling at him until Lio let go, then placed it over Lio’s belly, making him press down, palm flat.

Lio moaned, unbidden. He could feel it, knew, even before he looked down, that he was feeling Kray as he moved inside him. It hardly looked as extreme as it felt, but it was enough to make Lio feel even more raw and open than he already did. 

“Where’s that pride of yours now,  _ Elliot? _ ” Kray asked, punctuating it with a sharp thrust that Lio could feel, inside and out. He pulled his hand away, used it to brace against the headboard instead, ignoring Kray.

“Quit talking and just fuck me,” Lio said, breathless, digging his heel into Kray’s back hard enough to try to urge him on.

For once, Kray took mercy on him, and did just that.

Kray fucked him hard, lifting Lio’s hips off the bed and pressing deep into him. Lio could only take it, letting Kray maneuver him how he wanted. It was overwhelming, Lio could barely even think, couldn’t focus on anything but Kray inside him, his hands on him. Lio felt boneless, was defenseless. 

And then Kray was leaned in, the angle of their hips shifted and Lio couldn’t stop the wretched sound ripped from his throat. Kray covered him, completely, pressed their mouths together. It could hardly be called a kiss, it was an extension of Kray’s power over him, too much teeth and tongue, swallowing every sound Lio made. Lio could only hold onto him, it was too much, building up inside him, with each snap of Kray’s hips against his own. 

Lio started to reach down, to wrap a hand around himself, bur Kray knocked it away, pinned his wrist against the bed, “You come from this, or not at all.” His voice sounded so different, the most out of control it had been the whole night. Lio shuddered, pressed his hips back. Kray drove into him hard, again. 

Lio didn’t expect to come from that alone, had never come just from being fucked, but it hit him hard, like a bolt of lightning. He shuddered under Kray, tightening around him, digging his nails into his back where he had been holding onto him. Kray swallowed his moan, kept fucking him through it. At first it was delicious, kept him riding the wave of pleasure, but as Kray kept going it was just _too_ _much_. Lio clawed at him, thrashed under him, but Kray kept him pinned down, chasing his own pleasure, until he came, his hips finally stuttering and coming to a stop.

For a long moment, he continued to loom over Lio, pressed inside him. Lio’s heart was still pounding in his chest, he was still breathing hard, both of them covered in sweat. Lio moaned weakly as Kray pulled out, body clenching around nothing. It was just the sound of their breathing, until Kray moved back, pulled off the condom, and tied it off. He walked off, wordless. 

Lio didn’t have much time to enjoy the afterglow, as each piece of what he had done and what he felt slotted into cruel, terrible place. He felt weak as he sat up. 

“There’s no need to leave. If you want more you could stay,” Kray was silhouetted by the light from the bathroom, as he came back into the bedroom. He handed Lio a washcloth, as if it were nothing. Lio’s head was spinning as he wiped his own cum off his stomach. 

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Lio refused to acknowledge the state of his voice, channeled all the bite that he could into it, “Open the goddamn door for me so I can go.” If his legs were shaking when he got off the bed, Kray didn’t say anything about it.

“Is that what you really want?”

“Yes,” Lio snapped, grabbing his discarded underwear and jeans to yank them on, putting on his socks and boots with a practiced haste. 

“Suit yourself.” Kray didn’t seem bothered one way or another, grabbed his phone from the pocket of his pants and sat back on his bed, watching Lio idly as he slid through screens. A moment later, “It’s open. And don’t worry, the detectives are gone. I’m a man of my word.” 

“Show me.” Lio said, because he didn’t believe Kray for a moment. Kray seemed to expect it, showed him the same display as earlier, zoomed out so he could see all the cars parked in front of the building. 

“I trust you’ll be keeping up your part of the bargain as well. What did we agree on, ‘honor among thieves?’” Kray wasn’t even looking at him anymore, was doing something else on his phone.

“Yeah. Something like that,” Lio said, not bothering with anything else as he turned his back on Kray, “I’ll show myself out.”

“Please do,” Kray said simply, “Don’t worry, I’ll lock the door behind you.” 

Lio didn’t bother sticking around, made his way down the hall and down the stairs. Kray must know how badly he wanted to be out of there. If it wasn’t entirely likely that what Lio had originally come for was in Kray’s bedroom or in the office next to it, he might have stuck around to look for it, at least in theory. Now, all he could focus on was grabbing the rest of his clothes, and tugging them on, wrapping back-up and slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

When he approached the door, for a moment, his heart pounded. But when he turned the handle, it opened, and there was no one on the other side. Lio knew it would still be safer to take the stairs, go out the back way, take the alleys, but he didn’t trust his legs. He took the elevator, and when he walked out, there was still no one there. The video feed Kray had shown him had been accurate. Lio didn’t relax, peering over his shoulder, until he made his way to his bike, chained up a few blocks away. 

From there, it was autopilot. The way home, the way into his apartment. He grabbed a beer from the fridge, and took it with him into the shower, drank half of it and forgot it while he scrubbed off the layers of dried sweat, washed his hair, then leaned against the wall, under the hot spray until his skin was bright red, at first from the heat, and then from the cold.

Lio would deal with the fall out in the morning. He needed one of his fake passports, he’d have to get a plane ticket, make arrangements. For now, he just threw on a shirt, laid down his bed, trying his damndest to ignore every ache and throb, the lingering feeling of Kray’s hands on him, around him, of Kray inside him. By the time he finally drifted off, the sun was glaring against the outside edges of the blackout curtains in his room, slivers of light peeking in. 

\--

Lio didn’t wake up until mid-day. He might have slept longer, but for the insistent sound of a buzzing. It had him jolting awake, grabbing his computer to check the camera outside. 

It was just a delivery person, but with a very large package. Lio groaned, he could have slept a little more before getting ready for the clusterfuck the day was going to bring him. 

“Wrong apartment. I”m not expecting anything.” He said into the buzzer. 

“No, I’m sure this is for you. I was told you weren’t expecting it. Elliot, right?” 

Lio’s heart was pounding. What the actual  _ fuck _ . There was no way--he had seen everything Kray had done the whole time, he couldn’t have put a tracker on him or in any of his things. Had he been followed? Lio was careful, but . . . he hadn’t exactly been thinking straight, by then, had he?

“Leave it by the door, I’ll be right down.” 

Against his better judgement, Lio didn’t just take the fire escape and leave for good, right then and there. He put on some sweatpants and went through the hall to the front door, opening it up and peering out carefully before he dragged it in, and back to his apartment. 

He probably shouldn’t be taking this in. It was probably some kind of trap. But he had already made enough bad decisions in the last 24 hours (and then some), so surely one more wouldn’t kill him. 

He grabbed a knife, tore into the box. Inside was a piece of luggage, solid black, hardcase, with thick black straps, gunmetal buckles. Analog locks on the side. It looked expensive, felt expensive. Lio swallowed and undid the buckles and the zipper around it and opened it up. 

The only thing inside the case was a plain black leather passport protector, an airline voucher sticking out from the top of it. Lio picked it up, opening it up. There was a note inside, clean handwritten lines.

‘Elliot, In case you were thinking about running, I thought I could make it easier on you - K.F.’

Lio sat back on the floor, staring at the note, for a long time, until his head cleared some. He had fucked Kray Foresight. Kray knew where he lived. Was still taunting him, even now. He had gone to bed, sure that he had a plan for how to approach today.

Now? He wasn’t quite so sure. He needed longer to think. Needed longer to figure out what he was going to do next, how to go from here. But he knew one thing.

Lio Fotia was going to destroy Kray Foresight. 

  
  



	2. you should see me in a crown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lio goes to see kray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "bite my tongue, bide my time  
wearing a warning sign  
wait 'til the world is mine"  
you should see me in a crown, billie eilish

Lio knew he was being reckless, but he was moving on autopilot and couldn’t stop himself as he threw on clean clothes, grabbed the luggage, and shoved his way out of his apartment with it. He was driven by fury, and one singular, targeted thought.

Kray  _ fucking _ Foresight.

Part of him knew that this was bait, knew that he should stop, knew that he should play the game better than this. He had opportunities to cool down, from flagging a taxi, the ride to Kray’s apartment, to getting out of the car and walking inside. Even just walking in was too easy. There should have been someone that would stop him--but the doorman, security? No one gave him so much as a second glance.

Lio was walking straight into a trap and he knew it but he couldn’t stop himself. He let himself into Kray’s apartment, but when he slammed open the door, Kray was nowhere to be seen. He didn't know what he had expected, but with how easy it had been to get this far, he had almost expected to find Kray sitting on his couch, waiting for Lio to barge in.

“Kray!” He yelled, but there was no response or hint of the bastard. He frowned, he didn’t like this. He waited, parking the luggage in front of the door and walking further into the room, crossing his arms and waiting. But nothing.

He wasn’t naive enough to think that he wasn’t being watched though, though. Lio knew that Kray didn’t have any cameras hooked up to his central security system, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t set anything up since Lio had left. He wouldn’t put anything past Kray now. But the longer time went on with no appearance from Kray, the more frustrated he was getting. Fine. He could play this game.

Lio was just going to make himself at home. He walked over to Kray’s bar cabinet and pulled out a glass, looking over the selection of bottles. The whiskey from last night was the most expensive thing that Lio could spot, and so he poured himself a generous serving, more than he would drink. Probably. He picked up the glass and took a sip as he started walking. 

He knew the layout by heart from the blueprints he had seen, but he didn’t know much of the decor—save the records from Kray’s curator for the more expensive art on the walls. Lio took his time walking through the downstairs, taking notes on Kray’s taste. It was too brutalist for Lio’s taste, too plain and predictable in its harsh edges and the bleak whiteness of it. Everything was too perfectly matched, clearly all put together by a meticulous designer, but there was no heart behind it. Kray had obviously given them the guidelines of his taste, but the result felt nearly sterile. 

When Lio had finished walking through the downstairs he hesitated only a moment before he walked up the base of the stairs, taking a sip of his whiskey as he climbed them. It felt less ominous to walk up them alone, without Kray’s heavy hand on his back. He passed by guest rooms, and went straight to Kray’s study. Again, he thought he might see him sitting and waiting, but there was no sign of him here either.

The study was nearly as sparse as all of the other rooms in Kray’s apartment. The walls were lined with carefully arranged bookshelves, some shelves filled with small sculptures or decor instead of books. They had the same artificially crafted look as every other room, but Lio was far more interested in the desk, clean and bare save for the computer on it. 

It was tempting. Tempting to rifle through Kray’s desk drawers, open up his computer, and see what he could find. But Lio knew the moment he did anything more than run his fingers over the spotless glass desktop, there would be some kind of price to pay. He tapped his fingers against the whiskey glass, took a long sip of it while he glared at the computer as if it was responsible for his frustration, and not its master. The liquor did nothing to dull the temptation, so he forced himself out of the room, leaving the door open and going to check the only room left where Kray might actually be.

Lio walked down the hall and twisted the door handle. He actually didn’t expect him to be there, but when he pushed open the door, Kray was lounging on the couch on the far side of the room. He didn’t even look up from what he was holding, Lio couldn’t quite tell what it was from the angle and distance. But Kray raised an arm gesturing for him to come over. 

The anger that Lio had felt that drove him all the way here, reignited. It flared up in Lio and fueled his march across the room, past the bed, and over to Kray.

“I brought your luggage back,” Lio said sharply, “I don’t know how you had me followed, but I don’t appreciate it.” 

Standing in front of Kray was different than Lio might have anticipated it being. It was hard to say that he felt absolutely nothing, he couldn’t just block out the images of Kray from last night. Kray above him, Kray’s mouth on him, Kray’s hands on him, Kray inside him. Lio wasn’t going to let himself get flustered by it, though. Besides, it was easy to cover up that other type of frustration with his anger at Kray and what he had done later.

“It was a gift, Elliot. I thought it might make things easier for you. Besides, you know where I live, it was only fair to return the favor.” Kray didn’t even look at him, just kept on tapping away at his phone. It only made Lio want to lash out more. 

“Make things easier? Do you think I’m actually going to run away?” Lio asked, barely restraining his anger enough that he wasn’t just yelling at Kray. As satisfying as that might feel, he knew he was doing a terrible job at tempering his emotions and holding his cards close. If he was going to come out ahead, he needed to do better. he 

“You’re clearly very intelligent . . . in some respects, at least. If I were you, I probably would have left.” Kray finally set his tablet down and looked up at Lio, giving him a once over. He didn’t look particularly impressed with what he found, not that Lio expected, or wanted, Kray to care for his fashion anyway. Lio hadn’t been as concerned with subtlety this time, but it wasn’t like he was dressing to impress. Vegan leather leggings were just part of his everyday wardrobe.

“I’m not leaving.” Lio stated, firmly. If he had been on the fence at all before, he sure wasn’t now. He wasn’t going to back down from anything he said to Kray.

“Oh?” Kray almost seemed  _ amused _ by it, the smug bastard. He seemed relaxed, completely unbothered by Lio’s intrusion, comfortable in his sense of control over the conversation and the entire situation. 

Lio might be able to admit to himself that, from the very beginning, he hadn’t quite had his head screwed on straight about Kray. The whole thing had begun with some news story about workers at one of the branch companies of Foresight Industries—overworked, underpaid, anti-union. Kray’s rise to a cultural figure had been slow, but total. It snuck up on nearly everyone, but suddenly he was a household name and anyone would be hard pressed to find a part of their life or home without connection to Kray Foresight. The monopoly of it had irritated Lio from the beginning, but once some of the news stories had started coming out, and with them the defenses of Kray Foresight as a person, Lio had gotten curious. 

What he found was the polar opposite to Kray’s meticulously crafted generous, almost genteel, persona. The further into the rabbit hole of Foresight Industries and Kray Foresight’s life he went, the more he saw the ruthlessness that went down to Kray’s marrow. From decisions about the inner workings of the company to the intonation that Kray would use during a keynote, it was all planned and articulated carefully in a clean, but very heavily encrypted, trail of correspondences between him and his top executives, and his lawyers. 

Getting through the layers of security in Kray’s digital life had been the most difficult thing Lio had ever worked on, without a doubt. There had been weeks he had barely ate, only sleeping fitfully and dreaming of fragments of scattered code. When he had finally gotten in, it had get like a revelation—but it still hadn’t been easy to soft through all the digital junk and really put together a profile on Kray. And Lio was no forensic psychologist, he couldn’t look at scattered fragments and put together a flawless profile of his mind in an instant. The image of Kray in Lio’s mind had formed more slowly and gradually, pieces slotting into place.

Until he finally arrived at the man sitting before him. He was a carefully constructed image of casual and comfortable, but he was playing a game of chess out of their interactions. And right now, even though Lio was the one who  _ should _ be holding the most pieces, it was clear that Kray was three moves ahead. How long had he known about Lio, had it really only been since the last time Lio had checked through his personal security system. And now that he knew where Lio lived, what else did he know? 

“Oh,  _ what? _ ” Lio retorted, “You think you’re going to scare me away because you know where I live?”

“On the contrary, I had hoped you would stay. I’m finding it quite interesting to learn more about you, Elliot.” Lio didn’t like the tone he used, the appraising expression. 

“This isn’t a game.”

“Isn’t it?” Lio scowled, Kray still looked too pleased with himself. “There is something else I was thinking about though. I already know where you live, you might as well tell me your real name.”

“I showed you my ID,” Lio said, without missing a beat, “Elliot is my real name.” 

Kray laughed, short and sharp. There was nothing warm in it, and it almost made Lio nervous. He was always reminding himself that he knew what Kray was capable of, but it was different to see the effects on paper versus being in front of him. “You think I don’t notice how you react when I say it? You’re not the best actor.” 

“Maybe I just don’t like like my name in your mouth.” Lio remembered the drink in his hand, took a sip while he leered down at Kray.

He knew that he should leave now, before, he let Kray get even more under his skin. He had brought the luggage back, he had told Kray he wasn’t going anywhere, he had put his piece into play. Staying here longer, letting Kray push this further, was just asking for trouble. Still, Lio didn’t move a muscle.

“We could change that,” Kray said, his voice smooth and suggestive. Of course he would go there again. What Lio wasn’t expecting was the shiver that rolled down his spine. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me your real name?”

“You’re a businessman, Kray. You should know I wouldn’t give you something so valuable for free.” He really should leave, he was letting himself venture far too deep into dangerous territory. But there was something exciting in standing on that edge, a dark thrill curling low in his stomach. 

Lio could tell Kray looked pleased, but he didn’t care. Let him think what he wanted, but Kray wasn’t getting anything important out of him, no matter what happened here. Lio could ride the thrill of the danger and be on his way, if he wanted to. And he did want to, it was almost too easy to let the arousal bubble up over the anger and fury he felt before. The beginnings of a plan were starting to form. If Kray wanted to play the game this way, wanted to think he could get Lio under his thumb like this, then Lio would let him. He didn’t need to reconcile that Kray was an abhorrent person but a good lay, he could use it against him. Let Kray think he had Lio, Lio knew he didn’t. He could play a part, let Kray think he was twisting him and turning exactly how he wanted. Lio could have his own fun, get close, act complacent, and bring everything down from there.

“This is why you really came back here anyway, isn’t it?” Kray asked, and if he was surprised by Lio’s insinuation or skeptical of his sincerity, he didn’t show it. He only took the glass from Lio’s hand and set it aside. Lio let Kray pull him onto his lap, let him put his hands on Lio’s slim hips. It was easy to play into this, act more flustered than he felt by how easily Kray could move him around. 

“I wouldn't say that,” Lio said, lacing his fingers around the back of Kray’s neck. For a moment, he thought about wrapping his hands around it, but instead he just spelled them, teased fingertips into the hair just above the nape of his neck. “More of an afterthought, if anything.”

“I already told you you’re a bad liar.” Kray pushed his fingers under the waistband of Lio’s leggings, a tease.

“If you want my name you had better be nice to me,” Lio replied, pretending to pout. There was something a little fun in playing it up, like he had last night. If he wasn’t careful he might actually really start enjoying this. Kray seemed to be enjoying it enough himself, it was just an added bonus. If he  _ was  _ going to make an actual plan out of this, then he was going to need to figure out exactly what he liked, although Lio already had a few guesses.

If Kray had any opinions on his acting skills, then, he didn’t voice them. Instead, “Why don’t you go ahead and name your price then?”

“Still bad business. You’re the one who wants it, so shouldn’t you be making the offer?” 

Kray considered him for a moment and moved a hand around to palm over Lio, dragging his fingers over him, a tease through the layers of his leggings and underwear.

“It’s a start,” Lio said, in lieu of clear permission or a real answer. He let himself ease into the pressure of Kray’s hand, push his hips up when Kray teased with the barely there pressure of his fingertips. It was enough to get him hard, but he wanted more. He grabbed Kray’s wrist, held his hand where it was and rolled his hips into it.

“Getting greedy already?” Kray asked, his voice a low rumble that reverberated through Lio’s chest. Couldn’t he just shut  _ up? _

“If you don’t  _ behave _ , then you get nothing,” Lio said sharply, with a look to match. This one wasn’t Kray’s round to win, whether he liked it or not. Kray said nothing, and Lio wondered how far he could push this.

“I want you to blow me.” The look in a Kray’s eyes made his hips stutter against his hand and his heart to skip in a brief moment of fear. 

“Alright,” Kray said, after a tense moment. Lio didn’t expect him to agree but, Kray’s acquiescence sent a surge of arousal through him and he couldn’t help but smirk, but before he could ask Kray whether he preferred his back or his knees, Kray had his arm around him, lifting him with his ease as he stood up. 

“Hey!” He huffed, pushing at Kray’s chest.

“I’m taking you to the bed.” Kray said. He didn’t quite sound amused, probably was still annoyed with Lio’s demand. That was alright, if he was still going to do it. 

Kray leaned over the bed and put him down, Lio glared up at him, “Don’t just pick me up like that again.”

“It was hardly that bad,” Kray said, leaning over him and pulling Lio’s leggings and underwear down over his hips, in one go. He pulled this down just far enough to trap Lio’s legs in them, keep thighs together where the elastic on the waist hand wouldn’t stretch out anymore if he tried to move. Kray didn’t give Lio a chance to adjust before he had his hands on his hips, pressing him down to the bed. This might not be  _ quite _ what Lio had in mind, but it was close enough.

Kray didn’t give him any time to get settled, just took Lio into his mouth and sunk down on him. His hands were firm enough that Lio couldn’t push his hips up, despite trying. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the visual of it, couldn’t resist pushing a hand through his hair.

“Sure you don’t don’t do this often?” He asked breathlessly, giving a Kray a taste of his own medicine. Kray squeezed his hands around his hips harder, did something with his tongue that made Lio arch a little.  _ Fuck. _

Kray wasn’t sheepish, he was doing the same thing he had last night, looking for everything that made Lio squirm and twitch and arch and moan. He was focused on those reactions, on trying to coax them out and build Lio’s pleasure, urging him to the precipice. Lio kept his hand in a Kray’s hair, tightening it but never pushing down, Kray’s hands on his hips too firm to let him push up. It wasn’t as much control as he had wanted, but it was still good, good to know that he had Kray Foresight sucking his dick.

And he was  _ good _ at it, had Lio on the edge before long at all, had him tending into it, but then—

“Your name?” 

Lio groaned, dropping his head back against the bed, “Fuck you.”

“Tell me.”

“You’re not finished yet,” Lio snapped. If Kray was phased by Lio’s grip in his hair or his attempt, and failure, at pushing him back down, he didn’t show it.

“If you don’t tell me now, I will be,” Kray said, and Lio knew he would make good on the threat. He had Lio strung along, right where he wanted him, at least he thought.

“Leon,” He said with a huff. He tried not to put on too much of a show of it, tried to keep a balance of embarrassment and frustration. He didn’t want to overplay it and tip his hand.

Kray looked at him for a moment, “Leon,” he said, like he was tasting the name. In the end he seemed satisfied with it, took Lio back in his mouth, let Lio push his hips up some. This time, when Lio reached the edge, Kray didn’t pull away. He took him in deeper, took his hands from Lio’s hips and let him push them up as he arched and came with a shout. Kray let him shudder through it, only pulling back once Lio had stopped and settled back on the bed.

Lio’s chest heaved and his heart pounded. Kray pulled back, went off to the bathroom. Lio heard the water running while he pulled himself back together and pulled his leggings back up. At least this time, he didn’t have to completely redress.

By the time Kray was out of the bathroom, Lio was already turning to walk out of the bedroom door. “Have a good evening, Kray. It was a pleasure to do business with you.” He called, not waiting to see what Kray’s expression might 

Kray said something, but Lio was already down the stairs. He didn’t look back, even as he grabbed his bag from downstairs, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out the door with a smirk on his face. Let Kray think he won, Lio knew he was the one who had come out ahead.

Three days later, another courier came to his apartment. Lio tried to turn her away, but she insisted, and Lio took it, begrudgingly. He stashed it under his bed for two days—if he didn’t see it he might not be tempted. But eventually, he couldn’t stand it. He pulled the box out and opened it up, tearing out the tissue paper to reveal the leather jacket folded neatly underneath. 

Lio pulled it out of the box to lay it flat, looking at it closely. It was like his own, but infinitely nicer. Lio nearly fell over when he saw the label, Yves Laurent.

Kray Foresight had just sent him a $5,000 jacket.

He almost missed the card that fell out, but caught sight of the gold seal on the back of the envelope and ripped it open. The card was nondescript, Kray's initials neatly emblazoned on the one side, and in his plain, minimalist print, on the other:

‘“Leon,” It was a pleasure. Feel free to drop by again.”

So, Kray knew it wasn’t his name. Had he known then?

Lio ran his fingers over the supple black leather. He cursed, low under his breath, and pulled it on. The moment he did, he knew he was fucked. It fit like a glove. He looked in the mirror to admire the fit, not even wanting to know how Kray had guessed it so closely. 

It was perfect. Lio knew he shouldn’t . . . but he wanted to keep it. He wondered if it was meant to summon him back to Kray’s apartment, since obviously the luggage had worked so well, didn’t know if Kray had something planned.

Well, if he did, Lio had already made him sweat two days. Kray could stand a little more.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how many more names with the "lio" sound in them can i think of? guess we'll see.


	3. the devil told you that!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lio has something that Kray wants, and Kray is going to take it AKA The Rumpelstiltskin Principle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please mind the new tags (+ content note at end), and thank you for your patience! 
> 
> as always, this is unbeta'ed and incredibly self indulgent, so apologies for mistakes/repetitiveness/etc.

Lio was distracted. It had been days since Kray had sent him the jacket, and he hadn’t been able to focus properly since then. He was getting through the bare minimum, but the rest of his time could probably be spent more productively. Instead, he was pouring through folders of information about Kray again. He double checked his failsafes to make sure that he could follow through on his threat. If anything happened to him, Kray wasn’t going to make it out unscathed. Lio had checked his set up enough to be absolutely positive.

It wasn’t like it was new, though, for Lio to be distracted by Kray. He had been working on this for months, had turned down actual paying work for it. He had seen Kray’s name emblazoned on his screen so much that he might as well get it tattooed on the inside of his eyelids, it was already seared into his brain. Now that there had actually been a confrontation, things hadn’t really improved in that arena. He just kept looking, trying to find something he had missed that would let him get a nice  _ fuck you _ in before his final check mate. He wanted to make Kray pay.

He probably should talk about it with Meis and Gueira, give them at least an abridged and censored version of what was going on. It would be an extra layer of insurance, and he knew how to contact them without putting them at risk. But he knew they would ask too many questions, they might get restless, try to make a move before he was ready. They were, in their own way, protective of him even though he  _ really _ didn’t need it. So, again, he decided to keep what was going on quiet. To the disadvantage of him being left alone with his own thoughts.

Lio poured over his files, but he just couldn’t find anything that he thought Kray would actually care enough about to be affected by. It wasn’t like there was even anything that Lio wanted out of him, this wasn’t extortion. All Lio wanted to do was see him crack, break under pressure. Do something to make that facade splinter away, until it was just the wretched monster laid bare for the world to see. It had become personal, it wasn’t enough just to see all of Kray’s illicit behavior exposed, Lio wanted Kray to  _ suffer _ with it. 

A week after Kray sent the jacket, Lio was still debating his next move when there was another buzz at the door. He didn’t even have to check the door security feed to know what it was, it wasn’t like anyone else ever came to his apartment unless he was ordering food. Meis and Gueira knew better than to drop by without messaging him first.

This time the box was small, a little heavier than he expected but still fairly light.. Lio might have waited to open this one too, but he was starting to get restless. He didn’t like to spend this much time just sitting around. He might be trying to make Kray wait, but  _ he _ was the one getting frustrated here. He tore open the box, heedless of the ridiculous packaging.

It was a watch.

He pulled it from the box to examine it. It was analog, no smart displays, nothing hackable or traceable about it from a cursory glance. The sleek, black metal casing and the plated band looked expensive, it felt it too. There was a nice weight to it. Like the jacket, it looked nice. 

Unlike the jacket, it was nothing he would ever even think about wearing. Who wore analog watches anymore? 

Lio had taken the jacket to be a message that that Kray knew him, at least he thought he did. It was Lio’s style, his size, the cut was flattering. Lio was sure that Kray knew he would be conflicted about it because he would actually like it and want to keep it. The watch, though, was totally out of the realm of something Lio would ever wear. It sent a much different message.

_ You’re late _ .

He scowled. He was tired of sifting through endless files, looking for something he might have glossed over as less important. Sure, he knew Kray on paper. But if he really wanted to find out what would make him tick, then there were ways of doing that.

After all, Lio had never shied away from playing with fire before. What was going to stop him now?

***

Kray’s apartment was quiet and dark when Lio walked in, although he hadn’t expected anything different. He had access to Kray’s calendars, and even aside from that he knew that he usually had meetings scheduled later in the day throughout the afternoon on Tuesdays. There was still a part of him that expected Kray to be there, wondered if he might be waiting for Lio to respond to the most recent  _ gift _ that he had sent, especially considering how easy it was for Lio to walk in through the building. Again, no one had stopped him or given him a second glance. They, apparently, expected him. Lio wasn’t naive enough to think that security was just  _ that _ bad at their jobs to let him walk straight on through.

He also wasn’t naive enough to think that it was worth snooping around, anymore. Kray had had plenty of time to remove or destroy anything that would have been really interesting for Lio to find. If he did find anything, it was bound to just be a trap or a waste of time.

So instead of wasting his time looking for something that he wasn’t going to find, Lio made himself comfortable on Kray’s couch and scrolled on his tablet. As he expected, it only took about fifteen minutes before he heard the sound of the door’s lock turning, before the door opened and Kray walked in. 

“Welcome home,” Lio said, too saccharine. He didn’t budge, though, and Kray didn’t look surprised to see him. He wondered if it was a new alert set up on his security system that let Kray know when someone accessed it, he should look into that. He hadn’t actually bothered to check out the system again since the last time he came. He assumed as long as Kray was sending him things, he probably wasn’t going to lock him out.

“I see you liked the jacket,” Kray observed, taking a longer moment than necessary to rake his eyes over Lio. He was looking at more than just the jacket, but Lio wasn’t phased. Let him look.

“It’s nice enough,” Lio said, noncommittally, “Did you pick it out yourself?” 

“Does it matter?” Kray asked in response, sounding a little amused. Lio supposed that it really didn’t. Whether or not Kray had picked it out, it was still his idea, his money that had bought it. It wasn’t quite as bad as a brand. After all, no one else could know that it was Kray that had bought it just by glancing at it, but Lio knew, and Kray knew, and that was all that mattered to either of them in the end.

Lio shrugged in response, then gestured over to where he had put the box with the watch in it on the coffee table, “The watch isn’t really my style, though.”

“I didn’t think it was.” Kray took his coat off and put it away before he walked over towards the couch, eyes almost never leaving Lio. It was an almost unnerving level of focus, but Lio could at least act like it didn’t bother him for now, “I didn’t expect you to bring it back, though.”

“No? Did you hope I would keep it and cherish it always?” Lio asked, feigning a sweet voice again. Kray didn’t seem terribly amused by it, Lio didn’t really care.

“There’s no need to be childish.” Was that a hit of annoyance? A chord struck? Kray was measured, but theoretically he wasn’t impervious to human emotional responses.

“Then what I am here for?” Lio asked, because when it came down to it that was what he  _ was _ here for. To mess with Kray, get under his skin, figure out how to  _ really _ make him tick and how to knock down that ego of his. Although, Lio wasn’t going to deny that there might be . . . other benefits to taking his time figuring Kray out.

“I think we both know the answer to that,” Kray said as he walked over to the couch, walking around to the front of it and sitting next to Lio. He sounded pleased with himself, because of course he was going to act like this was something he had baited Lio into. If he wanted to believe Lio was that easy to play, let him. It was less work for Lio in the long term. 

“I’m not giving back the jacket,” Lio said simply, purposefully obtuse because he could be.

Kray reached a hand down and it took effort for Lio not to flinch away as he touched Lio’s throat, thumb grazing over where Kray had bitten him that first night. He couldn’t stop the slight shiver as Kray touched him, at first gently, then pressing his thumb into the skin, enough pressure for Lio to really feel it. Lio had watched the bruise in the mirror as the colors changed, from bright to dark. All that was left was a sickly green color, but in this light it would be hard to see.

“If we’re going to keep doing this, you’re going to have to do two things,” Kray said, pausing for just a brief moment, “You’re going to quit pretending you don’t want this and you’re going to tell me your real name.”

Lio pulled back, and sat up before scooting back on the couch and away from where Kray was leaning over him. Lio glared at him, “I already  _ told _ you my name.”  _ This _ is where there was real danger. At this point he didn’t think that Kray was going to hurt him, but he wasn’t about to give all of his own cards to Kray just in an effort to get information on him. It was one thing to admit that he wanted sex, even if it was with his self-proclaimed worst enemy. It was another thing entirely to actually give him  _ real _ information that could be used against him. 

“I’m not a fool. I know you know quite a lot about me, it seems only fair that I could get a name in return,” Kray said, calm as ever. “If you don’t want to say, you know where the door is.”

“I wasn’t lying,” Lio insisted, going for a mix of frustration and exasperation, “My name is Leon. Leon Tyson. Do you need a birth certificate?”

He didn’t know if he had sold it, Kray was still watching him, looking at him considerately. He was sure he hadn’t bought it, but then.

A short sigh, it was the sound of concession. There was an edge to it, and Lio couldn’t quite put his finger on if it was just reluctance to accept that Lio had been telling the truth or not. It hardly mattered, Lio had him.

Kray could look up the name, if he wanted. He’d find enough information that should convince him that it was real. Lio had been hiding behind false identities to almost everyone he met for longer than he could admit. Only Meis and Gueira knew his real first name. They might know more, but if they had gone searching for the information, they had never told him what they found.

“The last name is a step.” It felt too easy, but it’s not like Lio usually has much trouble getting people to believe he is who he says he is. And if Kray looks it up, he’ll find a suitably convincing background if he digs hard enough. 

“Still don’t believe me?”

“If you keep insisting, who am I to say you’re lying? I needed to press you a little more to be sure. I’m sure you can understand,” Kray replied, with a tone that said it was just simply the most reasonable thing to do. He always sounded measured when he spoke, as if every word he said and every action he took was simply the  _ right _ thing to say or do. He carried himself with heir of self-assured confidence, a simple assertion that he was in charge. It grated on Lio’s nerves.

“So that’s one of the conditions,” Kray went on, “There’s the other one.” 

“I hope you don’t think I’m going to prostrate myself in front of you. I’m not desperate.” Lio hadn’t entirely decided what his limits were with this thing, had thought about it in fits over the last week. He had spent the better part of that time working on convincing himself that there wasn’t anything wrong with a little ill-advised and reckless sex. Lio wouldn’t exactly say that he was attracted to Kray, but there was something  _ thrilling _ about the hot spark that flared when they collided. It shouldn’t be as enticing as it was, but it made Lio curious. If he could further justify it by saying that sleeping with Kray could help him find out more information, well, it was all for the better. Lio wasn’t above using sex as a weapon, this wouldn’t be the first time he had, anyway.

“I can always change that,” Kray said, and it sounded like a  _ threat _ , sent a rush through Lio. So maybe there  _ was _ an appeal inherent in being around Kray like this, but it was still  _ relatively _ safe. After all, they were in something of a stalemate, for now, at least.

“Don’t be so confident. I’ve had better,” Lio snapped, recklessly. He needed to figure out what boundaries he was going to set for himself, and he needed to know how far he could push Kray. What better way to figure out how far was too far than actually prodding and poking around to see how he reacted?

“I can change that, too.” Kray said, still with that same low, menacing tone that was sending a shiver up Lio’s spine. He didn’t seem thrown off, but Lio was going to have plenty of time to poke and prod. 

“You can certainly try,” Lio replied, with a sharp smirk. It was a challenge, a dare. If Kray wanted to act like he could have Lio wrapped around his finger, then he was going to have to actually deliver on that. Again. Only, this time it wasn’t going to be so strictly under Kray’s terms.

Kray rose to the bait, if anything, with less hesitation than Lio expected. He reached over to pull Lio into his lap, completely unbothered as Lio swung an arm out to try to keep his balance as Kray moved him. Kray pulled him so that Lio’s back was pressed against his chest, pulling his legs apart so that one was spread on each side of his legs.

“I didn’t mean you should start manhandling me,” he huffed as Kray started to touch him, pushing his shirt up as he dragged his hand up Lio’s side. 

“I don’t think you’re as bothered by it as you like to act.” Kray’s touch was stupidly light, a tease, as he just barely circled his thumb around one of Lio’s nipples. If anything, the lightness of his touch made Lio feel more sensitive.

“Thought you were more refined than throwing people around.” Lio couldn’t help but think of Kray’s stupidly squeaky clean public image, vaguely entertained the idea of how much the press would explode if they knew exactly how  _ wrong _ that perception of Kray was.

“Hmm, I am. But you’re not, are you?” His voice was so low in Lio’s ear, it should be revolting, but it wasn’t and it was going to be something Lio would have to learn to live with for now if he was going to keep doing this.

“Are you implying that I’m  _ uncouth _ ?” Lio bit back, trying to pretend he was unphased as Kray continued to tease him, slowly trailing his hand down and undoing Lio’s jeans.

“No, you’re just lacking a bit of polish,” Kray said, Lio could feel his smirk as Kray leaned down to kiss the back of his neck. Again, it was just a tease of a touch, only enough to make Lio’s skin prickle.

“If I don’t meet your standards, then why am I here?” Lio asked, still annoyed.

Kray pushed his hand into Lio’s jeans, palming over him. Even with Lio’s jeans undone, there was hardly enough space for him, and it only took a moment before he was irritated by it enough that he lifted Lio’s hips enough to push his jeans down over his hips for easier access.

“I never said you didn’t meet them, just that you could use a little work.” Kray finally said, apparently more pleased now that he could tease Lio more effectively. All it was doing was putting Lio on edge. Even when Kray was moving him around how he wanted him, he was still being infuriatingly light-handed about it.

“God, just shut up and  _ actually _ fucking touch me,” Lio hissed, everything Kray said was just making him more irritating, and Kray teasing him like this wasn’t helping. He already  _ knew _ how much of a bad idea this was in general, but he thought it might at least be interesting. Mostly, it was just infuriating. Kray had him wanting to reconsider if he did want to play along with this.

“Is this not enough for you?” Kray asked, drawing one finger over the line of Lio’s cock in his underwear. 

“Fuck off.” 

Kray pulled his hands away from Lio almost instantly.

“I’m sorry, was that too far?” Lio asked, a voice dripping with irritation and a hint of mockery. This was more trouble than it was worth, Kray was proving over and over that Lio was making a mistake indulging in this at all.

“You’re acting like a brat.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware that I needed to modulate my behavior if I wanted to get fucked,” Lio said, twisting around to glare at Kray, half thinking about getting up and leaving right then. He  _ should _ at this point.

“Oh, was that what you wanted? You hadn’t mentioned,” Kray’s voice was so low, his tone was so modulated.

“You’re so  _ irritating _ ,” Lio groaned, “Get on with it or I’m leaving.”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Kray replied, voice hinting at sarcasm. 

This time, when Kray touched him he didn’t tease. He pulled Lio’s cock from his underwear, wrapped his hand around it, and started stroking him. His other hand went to Lio’s hip, holding him down with a firm grip.

“Much better,” Lio said, just a touch breathier as Kray’s hand moved on him. It wasn’t much, but it was better than the teasing before.

“You might try saying ‘thank you.’”

“In your dreams,” Lio was careful to keep his own voice measured, it wasn’t like Kray was doing that well, but Lio didn’t want to give him any hint of satisfaction.

“What am I going to do with that mouth you keep on running?” Kray asked, playing at thoughtful.

“If you’d just shut up, mayb—“

Lio didn’t even get to finish his sentence, before Kray’s hand was on his face, squeezing his mouth shut.

“Quiet,” Kray said, voice far calmer and softer than it had any right to be as he dragged his fingers over Lio’s lips. When Lio opened his mouth to complain, Kray just pushed his fingers in. His voice was only a touch lower, a bit darker, when he said, “Suck.”

Lio wanted to bite him  _ so badly, _ and nearly gave into the urge but Kray’s hand was still on his dick and there was a hint of a threat hanging in that order. And that’s what it was, an  _ order _ . It grated against Lio that Kray thought he could get away with that, but at least he had struck a nerve to get that kind of reaction, anyway.

So Lio ran his tongue along Kray’s fingers and did what he said. He hollowed his cheeks around the digits and teased them with his tongue. He wished he could see the look on Kray’s face, try to figure out what he was thinking. At least he knew that Kray wasn’t totally unaffected, Lio could feel him pressing against his ass, through the layers of clothing.

Kray didn’t seem too eager to move on from this, though. He seemed to be enjoying this on its own, building Lio’s pleasure and starting to fuck his fingers into his mouth. Kray seemed content to carry on just like that, even if Lio came like this. At first he ignored the signs Lio was getting closer, Lio’s hips thrusting up into his hand, his mouth not quite attentive.

“How well-behaved you can be, when you’re trying,” Kray said, finally dragging his fingers out of Lio’s mouth and wiping them against his cheek.

Lio didn’t have a response ready for that, was caught off guard as Kray swiped his thumb over the head of his cock, spurring him closer to the edge, he already felt so close, and Kray was urging him there, working him towards it.

Until his hand slowed, just the tease of a touch again, leaving Lio stranded on a cliff, trying to push his hips up into Kray’s hand.

“Tell me your name.”

Lio jolted in Kray’s arms, held in place only by the arm that he had wrapped around him and Kray’s hand still wrapped around his cock.

“Fuck you,” Lio sneered, cutting through the fog of arousal.

“It’s a simple question. And I want an honest answer.”

“My name is Leon,” Lio huffed. He was pinned here like this, trapped with no way to get out and away from him. 

“No it isn’t,” Kray said, so matter of fact. He used his thumb to run over the head of Lio’s cock, again, smearing precum around, making Lio’s hips twitch up into the touch.

“It is, I fucking told you,” Lio twisted in his arms but Kray just took advantage of it, keeping him held down firmly in his lap so the effect of Lio moving was more like he was just fucking himself into Kray’s hand and grinding his ass down against Kray’s dick against his ass. 

Lio half half expected him to stop, but he didn’t.

“And you lied,” Kray replied, with a firmness to his tone that left no room for debate. Did he  _ know _ or could he just tell that Lio had lied?

“Tell me the truth. What’s your real name? Kray asked, again; and Lio just shook his head. He was breathing hard, Kray was dragging him to the edge.

“Shut up or stop touching me.” Lio didn’t want to deal with both, was frustrated with Kray trying to get to him like this. God, he couldn’t leave well enough alone, he was ruining  _ everything _ .

“That’s not an answer.” Kray didn’t stop stroking him, didn’t stop touching him, urging him closer to the edge. His voice was low and smooth and right in Lio’s ear, and it really had no right to have any effect on him at all.

“I told you,” he choked out, voice sounding breathier than he wished it did. He was so close, it wouldn’t take much, “My name is Leon.”

“Wrong answer.” Kray said, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t stop, he kept touching him, pushing him closer and closer with his breath hot against Lio’s ear and his voice ringing in Lio’s head, and he didn’t stop, until Lio was just about to--

Kray squeezed his hand at the base of Lio’s cock, Lio had been so  _ close _ . He bit back a sound of frustration.

“Why?” Lio groaned, trying to sound more exasperated and less frustrated and desperate.

“I thought you might want to wait. You said you wanted to get fucked, didn’t you?” Kray’s voice was quiet, insidious in his ear and  _ tempting _ .

“I may have said that.” And he may have meant it, but now he was just getting irritated. It wasn’t fair that Kray could just get to have this kind of control over him, and that Lio was  _ letting _ him. Even now, Kray was running his hands over Lio’s thighs and even through the layer of Lio’s denim, the touch was enough to make him feel sensitive.

“Then you should wait for that.”

Lio rolled his eyes, but Kray took the opportunity to pull him into his arms as he stood. Lio flailed for a moment, glaring at Kray the whole time, “I already  _ told _ you last time not to pick me up.”

“You may have, but I don’t recall saying I wouldn’t do it again,” He said, with a little bit of a smirk as he carried Lio around the couch and up the stairs. It was  _ stupid _ how effortless it was for Kray to pick him up and carry him around like this. Lio  _ really _ shouldn’t let him get away with this. But he did. He let Kray carry him across the room and up the stairs and into the bedroom. When Kray put him down on the bed he didn’t even hesitate before he just pushed Lio’s underwear and jeans down the rest of the way to strip them off of him. At least Lio wasn’t left just in his t-shirt for long before Kray was tugging that off too, leaving Lio completely undressed and Kray still neatly buttoned up. Lio moved to start at the buttons on Kray’s shirt, but Kray pushed his hands away.

“This is just about you, right now,” Kray said, and something about the way he said it made it sound considerably more sinister than just the words alone.

“Feeling self-conscious about something?” Lio asked, trying again because he was stubborn.

“I want you to have my undivided attention. Try that again and maybe I’ll have to tie you up.” There was a hint of something like humor in it, but it only made Lio narrow his eyes.

“You are  _ not _ tying me up,” He said, sharply, even as he moved back on the bed to make himself comfortable. He watched Kray as he raked his eyes over him, and Lio couldn’t help but feel a bit like preening. He liked his body--he was proud of it, and if Kray was going to look then Lio wasn’t going to hide from it. Let him look, but Lio was still hard and wanting and would much prefer that he would get on with the show.

“Going to get on with it?” Lio asked, extending his leg to brush against the side of Kray’s thigh as he sat down on the bed.

“If you behave,” Kray said, catching Lio’s leg with a hand around his ankle, taking the opportunity to push Lio’s legs to the side so Kray could settle between them. 

“Good luck with that.”

Kray started to touch him again, running his hands up Lio’s legs, over his thighs. He kept going, fingers like brands as they traced over Lio’s hips, before sliding back down his thighs again. It was all Lio could do to be patient instead of pushing up into his touch or pulling him down. He didn’t want to think of himself as desperate, but after almost coming once he felt too sensitive to enjoy Kray touching him like this.

And Kray  _ knew _ that. Lio watched him, could see him categorizing and cataloguing every little twitch or sigh that he was able to coax out of Lio as he touched him, all up and down his body. Sometimes his hands just ghosted along, sometimes there was more pressure, like when he rolled Lio’s nipples between his fingers, or pressed his thumbs in next to Lio’s hips. It was almost enough to make Lio’s face flush, almost enough to get him a little breathy. At least, until Kray brushed his fingers over Lio’s cock, and _ that _ was definitely enough to wrench a sound out from him. It was small and strangled, but unbidden enough that Lio’s hand shot to his mouth, trying to cover it up, annoyed that Kray had been able to get it out of him so easily.

“There’s no need for that,” Kray said, as he finally pulled away and grabbed the bottle of lube. He squeezed some onto his fingers, not hesitating to nudge Lio’s legs just a little further apart before taking an entirely different opportunity to tease.

Kray pressed one finger against Lio’s hole, not quite pressing in but applying enough pressure that it seemed like he might. He didn’t though, he took his time, rubbing around the tight ring of muscle. It wasn’t a sensation that he was used to, not any type of teasing that he had been prepared for. It was enough to make him squirm a little, and if his face hadn’t been flushed before it definitely was then.

“Stop teasing and just put your fucking fingers in me,” He snapped, hoping his voice didn’t sound as tight as it did to his own ears.

“Are you not having fun,  _ Leon _ ?” The way Kray said the name made Lio shudder, remembering that he should probably be at least a little more nervous than he currently was. He pulled his hand away entirely, and Lio just groaned and sank back against the pillows.

“I want more, stop teas-- _ oh _ ,” He said, interrupted by a moan when Kray wrapped a hand around his cock again, finally giving him something like relief. “That’s it.” Lio sighed, content for a moment as Kray touched him, finally pushing a finger into him too. 

They were  _ finally _ getting somewhere, and Lio could relax into the pleasure as Kray touched him  _ properly _ this time. If he thought Kray touching him elsewhere had him feeling sensitive, this was something else, but it was  _ good _ . It was good enough that he was close to coming much quicker than he usually would be.

Lio clenched one hand into the duvet, trying to cover the gasps and scattered moans that Kray drew from him with his hands. He was focused, Lio would give him that. He didn’t miss a beat as he jerked Lio off, didn’t hesitate when he pushed in another finger. He was fucking Lio with his fingers, and it was enough to have Lio feel hot and his heart hammering, and he was  _ so _ so close.

And then Kray’s fingers stilled, and he squeezed tight at the base of Lio’s cock again. He might have sobbed, couldn’t stop his hips from twitching a little. But Kray, clearly, knew what he was doing, waited for Lio to settle before he took his hand from Lio’s cock and stroke it down his side in a mimicry of a soothing gesture.

“This is--you’re an asshole,” Lio said, knowing that it was impossible to hide the small creak in his voice, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the hammering of his heartbeat that was just starting to even out again. 

“You know exactly what you have to do if you want to come,” Kray said, voice softer than it had any right to be.

“Get over it, Kray. I’m not telling you anything else.” Almost as soon as he had said it though, Kray was fucking Lio on his fingers again, taking the time to search out the right angle, rubbing intentionally against Lio’s prostate.

“Fuck you,” Lio gasped, breathlessly, hips twisting uselessly because Kray wasn’t letting him take anything more than Kray was willing to give right now. It was  _ infuriating _ .

He wasn’t used to giving up so much control in the bedroom, he certainly wasn’t used to it being wrested from him like this. The last time he had salvaged a little bit of it, but Kray’s patience was unending, and he was so  _ good _ at reading every little minute reaction that he could pull from Lio.

Lio was starting to feel desperate, and he wasn’t used to that. He was starting to feel strung out, eager for a release he was starting to question if he was even going to get. There was just this  _ pressure _ , this lowgrade urgency that was barely keeping him knit together.

“Tell me and you can come,” Kray said, as if it was that easy, as he rubbed the pads of his fingers against Lio’s prostate. He wasn’t even fucking him anymore, just pressing into that spot inside him, coaxing the pleasure out of him enough. It was too soon after being so close to coming before, the pressure was so intense it felt like it might split him.

“I won’t,” he insisted, stubbornly, even as he tried to push back against Krays fingers, looking for  _ more. _

“It will be easier if you tell me now.” Kray’s fingers were still rubbing, teasing against that spot inside him. 

“Not telling you shit,” Lio was breathless, trying to twist against him but now Kray was holding him his hip down with his other hand, the show of strength at keeping him pinned with just one hand while he continued to massage Lio’s prostate.

Lio, despite himself, couldn’t help but enjoy it. It was spark after spark of intense pleasure, lighting him up as Kray applied just the right amount of pressure, kept just the right pattern. It was  _ infernal _ how good he was at this, how well he could read each reaction and adjust. Lio was beyond holding back the broken sounds coming from his throat as he tossed his head and writhed on the bed, clenching his hands in the sheets so hard his knuckles were white. And all the while the pressure  _ built _ and  _ built _ and  _ built _ , until he thought he’d go mad with it, his dick leaking precum, making a mess of him, and he was probably drooling and he was going to—

Kray stopped.

Lio choked out a sob, tried to screw his hips back down against Kray’s fingers, but Kray wouldn’t let him get what he wanted.

“I hate you,” Lio’s voice felt like it was shaking, he felt like he might jump out of his skin. He was so on edge, and Kray just smiled at him, stroked his hand down Lio’s side like he was soothing an injured animal. 

“You only need to tell me one little thing.”

And Kray didn’t waste any time before he was back to torturing Lio all over again, pressing his fingers deep, moving them carefully. Lio felt twitchy this time, his skin stretched too tight, arousal lighting up each of his nerve endings. It was too much, and Lio couldn’t hold back as he writhed on the bed.

“I can’t,” but he barely sounded convincing even to himself as he twisted, his voice was high, faltering over just those two words.

“Do you really think it makes that much of a difference? Do you think I won’t find out one way or another? You might as well tell me now and you can at least get something you want out of it.”

He knew, he had to know. Lio could feel his resolve falling away, breaking into pieces with each touch. He clenched his hands where they were fisted in the sheets again, nearly kicking out as Kray crooked his fingers again. 

And Kray was never phased by any of Lio’s reactions, he kept on. By then he knew exactly how to move his hands, use his fingers to bring Lio right up to the edge again. It was even more effortless this time, it seemed that he knew exactly what to do. 

“You should tell me, before it's too late,” Kray warned. He could clearly read the signs, could tell Lio was getting close again. It was almost hard to enjoy it, anticipating the inevitable denial that was coming.

Lio should just tell him. He could get what he wanted, he could end this. Kray already knew where he lived, Lio was even sure that he already knew. But on the off chance that he didn’t . . . Kray was right, he would find out. But Lio  _ couldn’t _ , it was admitting defeat, it was caving in to Kray and what he wanted, and Lio couldn’t stand to give him that satisfaction but it seemed like it was no time at all before Lio was  _ so close _ again.

“So stubborn,” Kray admonished, but it didn’t stop him. Lio was falling apart in his hands, falling to pieces against the bed as he tried to keep from acting like he was driven quite as wild as he felt.

He was going to come, like this. They weren’t even going to get to the fucking, he was going to fall apart right here.

“Kray,  _ please _ ,” He was loathed to say it, but it was better than the alternative.

“You look good like this, you know,” Kray said, moving his hand from Lio’s hip to wrap around his cock again. He stroked him carefully, with such precise movements, flicking his thumb over the head of his cock, “Like you’re going to break.”

“Not for you.”

“There’s no need to lie,” Kray said, laughing softly as Lio’s hips pushed up into his hand, “See? You’re practically there again already? I wonder how long I could keep doing this.”

“ _ No _ ,” Lio hissed, he didn’t know how much more he could take without actually coming apart.

“I suppose I could have mercy on you,” Kray said, but nothing in his voice sounded merciful at all.

But he knew what he was doing, it was easy enough for him to coax Lio back to the precipice, only this time. He didn’t stop before.

The moment Lio started to come, Kray stoped touching him, pulling his fingers out of Lio and taking his hand from Lio’s cock.

Lio choked back a desperate sound, more like a sob than he would ever care to admit. His hips jerked once but there was no sensation to chase, and his cock twitched, cum dribbling weakly from the tip and down the side. Kray was holding him down, now, Lio had barely noticed him move to stop him from touching himself. He might have come, but there was no feeling of release, nothing good about it. Need still itched under his skin, arousal a slow burn just beneath the surface. He had been  _ so close _ .

When Lio’s body had finished with the unsatisfying release, Kray drew one finger along the line of cum on his cock, smearing it over the head. Lio jerked, there might actually be tears in his eyes but he would  _ never _ admit that. He couldn’t make sense of what he was feeling, the need and the oversensitivity too intertwined for him to properly separate them.

“Not quite what you were hoping for?” Kray was watching him so carefully, Lio felt like one of those butterflies pinned up in a shadowbox. There wasn’t anywhere for him to go, was there? Kray seemed thrilled by it if the expression on his face and in his eyes meant anything.

Lio didn’t reply, and Kray just kept on playing with him. It was too much, Lio couldn’t stay still, was writhing under him.

“Please,” Lio said, and he felt like he was wringing the last of himself out in the words, even though he knew there was still more to give up.

Kray made a thoughtful noise, and pulled away, wiping his fingers unceremoniously on Lio’s thigh. 

Kray undressed slowly and methodically, leaving Lio twitching on the bed, cooling as the air hit his sweat slick skin. He watched, distractedly, as Kray took off his clothes and laid them out. It felt like an eternity before Kray was back on the bed, still not touching Lio, and putting the condom on. Longer still, until he pulled Lio onto his lap. Lio thought he might have to beg more, that Kray might have something else up his sleeve.

Instead, he just guided Lio until he was sinking down onto Kray’s cock, helping support Lio until he was fully seated. Like this, Lio could feel every inch of him. Lio couldn’t even move at first, could only brace himself and breathe roughly against Kray’s shoulder. He was split in two, he felt so raw inside and out, everything was white hot, electric.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Kray asked and Lio didn’t even know anymore. It was  _ yesnomaybe _ , jumbled together in his head. He couldn’t focus.

“Just shut up.” He needed to filter out the static, but all he could focus on was Kray’s hands on him, his dick in him. 

“I could help you, you know,” Kray’s voice was a low rumble, there was nothing soothing about it even as he pushed Lio’s sweat drenched hair away from his face, tipping his head back so he could look at him. 

Lio said nothing, jerked his head away from Kray’s hand, and started to move. His thighs were already shaking, and he couldn’t settle into a rhythm, couldn’t hold back the short, staccato sounds he made as he lifted his hips, just a little and sunk back down into Kray’s lap. His hands were on Kray’s shoulders, digging into the thick muscle, trying to keep himself steadied.

“I can’t,” Lio breathed out, feeling like the breath was punched out of him as he sunk down onto him. 

Kray smiled, sticky but not the slightest bit sweet.

“Tell me,” and Kray, the absolute  _ bastard _ , held Lio’s hips still and thrust up into him, sharp, and hard, and  _ that _ was what he wanted. 

Lio moaned, tried to lean forward again and brace himself, but Kray wouldn’t let him. He just situated him again, so Kray could look at him, watching as Lio’s composure broke  _ shattered _ , falling to the sides in millions of little pieces as he held on tightly to Kray. Kray’s eyes were boring straight into his core, Lio was utterly trapped.

Kray was measured, snapped his hips again. And again. And again. Lio’s fingernails were digging into him and he couldn’t take this, too slow, not enough. It was so  _ close _ . Kray adjusted their positions, shifted Lio’s hips. The next thrust had Lio seeing stars.

“Lio,” he gasped, breathless, grabbing at Kray, avoiding the utter triumph written clearly across his face. He had known. This whole time he had known. 

Lio was realing with the proof of it, and with Kray pulling his dick out of Lio and tossing him onto the bed, pinning him onto his stomach. Lio jerked, twisted, but Kray was on top of him, and when he pushed in again, Lio thought his eyes might roll back into his head.

He didn’t move. 

“I told you, I told you, so  _ fuck  _ me and let me  _ come, _ ” Lio hissed, taking fistfuls of the bed sheets, ready to tear into them in frustration. 

“Last name,  _ Lio _ ,” Kray said, Lio’s name a dark whisper in his hear, the insiduous slide of breath at his throat. 

Kray teased again, thrusting into him once, twice, thrice, so close. And he knew, he already knew, there wasn’t any point.

“Fotia,” Lio breathed out, against the sheets, as if the excessively high thread count could hold it like a secret between them. “Lio Fotia.”

“Good boy,” Kray didn’t hesitate, didn’t wait a moment before he unleashed Lio’s reward unto him. He fucked him hard, his dick spearing into him, carving out a place and Lio was  _ ruined _ . His skin was on fire, and surely the bed, the penthouse, the whole building would go up into flames around him. Everything was static, perfect, deadly static.

Lio couldn’t hold himself up, but Kray kept his hips up and back and the angle was  _ perfect _ . It could have been seconds or minutes or hours or days, but as the pleasure peaked, Lio, for one horrifying second thought that Kray might be there to rip it all away again, but he fucked Lio right through it, and the orgasm tore through Lio like a gunshot, and he was sure that he screamed, spasming against the bed. Kray might have said something, but Lio’s blood was rushing so hard in his ears as Kray fucked him through it that Lio couldn’t have heard.

Kray kept fucking him, but Lio twisted under him, the overstimulation tearing into his raw and wounded nerves, after so much it was  _ too _ much. But Kray was close behind him, his rhythm stuttering, and he thrust once, twice, three times and then pressed deep into Lio for a long moment, letting out only some kind of quiet, restrained grunt before he pulled back. 

“That wasn’t so hard in the end, was it?” The words were all running together in Lio’s head and he didn’t want that mockery, on top of it all. 

He wanted to move, but everything in him groaned in protest when he tried.

Kray moved off the bed, was gone, came back, with a glass of water and handed it to Lio wordlessly. Lio took it and drank, he had only shifted enough that he could move himself away from where he had come on the comforter.

“Lio Fotia,” Kray said, maybe for the first time, or maybe Lio had missed him saying it before. He wasn’t sure, but things were only just starting to filter back into any kind of focus. “It suits you.”

“You already knew,” Lio accused. His voice was raw, but the water helped.

“Did I?” Lio watched him, but he couldn’t tell, and his stomach sank and his heart twisted and he  _ knew _ that Kray had known, but it was just enough doubt. The idea that he hadn’t. An idea, the most resilient parasite. 

There was no use lingering. He knew now. Lio could only move forward, adjust from here. Do what he needed to do. 

And right now that was leave. 

He finished the water, and moved to the edge of the bed, standing shakily.

“You don’t have to leave you know.” The offer was poison, more than Lio had already taken. Like  _ hell _ he was going to spend the night here, just because Kray had fucked him into an inch of losing his mind.

“I do, and I am,” Lio replied, sharply. He was not leaving any room for Kray to think this was another opportunity for him to get his way.

“Fine,” Kray said, sounding put out, “But I’m calling you a car. You’re in no state to wander out on the streets.” There was disdain in his voice and Lio wanted to snap, but he just looked for his clothes. 

Lio didn’t argue, about that at least. There were more quips, but the rest of it passed in a blur. He was in Kray’s room, then he was down the stairs, in his jacket, in the elevator, outside, in the car. Kray’s driver said nothing to him, already knew the address, and Lio didn’t push the boundary of silence. The driver wouldn’t drop him off at a corner, made sure that he didn’t leave until Lio was through the door of his apartment building. And then there was more silence. 

Quiet. The humming of the fans for the various computers and systems in his apartment barely touched him. The silence and the dark settled over everything around him. But it was the quiet that was the disconcerting part. It rushed in around him, and it was too much. Not enough. Static. 

Kray knew. Lio had told him. Had he known before?

It didn’t matter, it _wouldn't_ matter. Lio wouldn't let Kray hang this over his head, act like it was the end of whatever this was because it _wasn't_. But right now, Lio was fucked out and tired and he wanted a shower and he sleep. In the morning he would take at least a little bit of his revenge against Kray, let him think he had a taste of what Lio was planning, but oh, he was only just getting started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> newly added: orgasm delay/denial. this includes edging/ruined orgasms/etc. also no aftercare, and its sort of disconcerting, but the effects aren't explored too heavily. i have tried to be as thorough as possible with tags without putting a novel in the tags, but i am only human and my brain is jumbled, so please use them as a guide and if you have specific questions feel free to comment and ask.


	4. sell your soul, not your whole self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from "afraid" by the neighbourhood

The quiet settled around Lio like an uncomfortable weight on his shoulders. He waited, for days, expecting something else—another courier, a letter. The police, the FBI. He teetered on the edge for days before he finally talked himself down. If Kray hadn’t pulled the trigger yet, he wasn’t going to without another provocation.

Theoretically, that meant that Lio should back off. He should cut his losses and get out of here while he still could.

Instead, he accessed Kray’s bank account again and donated $9,565 to a non-profit that pledged to help workers unionize. This particular non-profit had even been working with some companies under the Foresight Industries portfolio, and there had been a few contentious articles about it. Everything was still in the early stages, but they had stirred up enough mess that Kray would know about them (and probably want to crush them). Lio was sane enough to at least make the donation anonymously, but Kray would still see where it went if the bastard even checked his accounts--not that he needed to. He had an obscene amount of liquid capital, it almost made Lio nauseous. As for the monetary amount . . . it was part of the message. Lio had combed through to figure out how much Kray had spent on those gifts he had sent--and Lio was careful to include the costs of the courier fees, too. It was a pointed message, but it was still only testing the waters. Kray had just made a big play, was he going to follow up, or was Lio meant to respond?

Lio didn’t have a plan for this situation—but he knew he needed to come up with one. He was usually good at thinking on his feet, responding quickly, but something about Kray made his blood boil in a way that he just couldn’t think through all this rationally and just lay out a game plan. All that he could do was stew on it and  _ wait _ , try to think what the best thing to do next was. It felt torturous to not be able to just spring into action against him. He didn’t even know what the shape of the rest of this . . . game looked like, at this point. 

He honestly didn’t even know what to expect out of the situation, he made the donation as a relatively cautious next step, but the longer went on without any retaliation, he wondered exactly how that step had been received.

Finally, he thought, Kray had made his play. It was only a few days later, but it felt like eons, in this tense match. The buzzer rang, and Lio’s relief was palpable. Whatever happened next, it was something he could respond to it.

Only when Lio went to answer the door—it wasn’t a courier or the postman or anyone Kray had sent at all. It was two  _ goons _ leaning against the door frame and looming in as he answered the door.

“What the fuck are you two doing here?” Lio hissed, grabbing each of them by the arm and dragging them through the foyer, into his apartment. He bolted the door shut and peered cautiously outside through the blinds, checking to see if there were any cars he hadn’t noticed before. He was sure Kray was watching him,  _ somehow _ .

“Jeeze, boss, thought you might be happy to see us,” Gueira huffed, exaggeratedly, as if he was actually offended at Lio’s greeting.

“We haven’t heard from you in a while,” Meis adds, more seriously. “We were concerned.”

“Well I’m fine. You both know you can’t just show up like this.” That didn’t seem to relieve their concerns any, judging by their shared expression.

“Someone on your tail?” 

“It’s a little more complicated than that.” Because it was, he should keep his mouth shut, though. He’d only put them in more danger if they knew too much about this situation. Both of them had been known to act impulsively--more than once on Lio’s behalf. It had certainly saved his ass, but it had nearly put the two of them in hot water. Lio didn’t know if he could ever repay the favor, but keeping them  _ safe _ was one way to ebb at that debt.

Gueira plopped down on the barely used couch in Lio’s living room, making himself comfortable and peering in the direction of the monitors in the corner. There was a video game tournament in one corner, Lio’s mostly abandoned and lukewarm lunch of some cup noodles and a beer were sitting on the desk next to the keyboard. 

“How long have you been holed up?” Meis asked, because he knew Lio and wasn’t afraid to have the hard conversations with him. 

“It’s--”

“ _ Boss _ ,” Gueira cut him off, a warning. Permission to tell the truth.

Lio didn’t usually feel self-conscious in front of them, with them. For anything. They called themselves his Generals for a reason--they were unfailing loyal, even if Lio didn’t really know what he had done to deserve that in the first place. They were his best friends, and had seen him in far worse states than this.

This was different, though. They didn’t know what ( _ who _ ) he had done.

“This is about that Foresight business isn’t it?” Gueira asked, before the silence could hang between them much longer. Of course he had told them he was looking into Foresight’s financials a while ago, before things had gotten more . . . tangled up. He hadn’t ever told them about his plan to break into Foresight’s apartment though, it had been too risky. They couldn’t know anything about it, they had only known that if he didn’t make his check in there were procedures to follow. But he had made the check-in the next morning, and they hadn’t asked questions. Business as usual.

“Yes,” Lio admitted, nervously, going for the lukewarm beer on his desk, ignoring Meis’ look, “I made some interesting ground on it.”

“And?”

“I found an in. All you need to know is that it's dangerous, but I’m taking care of it,” He tried to summon up some of the bravado and confidence that usually made them pretty happy that he wasn’t in too far over his head, but he wasn’t sure they were buying it. 

“I don’t know if being worried that he knows where you live and has you under surveillance is ‘taking care of it,’” Meis pointed out, and Gueira made an affirmative expression on his face, conceding that his partner had a point there.

“It’s--”

“Boss, I swear, if you say it’s complicated--”

“Well, it  _ is _ ,” Lio huffed, cutting Gueira off in turn. “You two shoudl be less worried about me and more worried about yourselves.”

“He’s made you, hasn’t he?” Meis asked.

Gueira’s eyes narrowed at the suggestion and he leaned forward, like he was about to spring up and into action, “You shouldn’t be here at all. We have safe houses.” 

Lio didn’t waste time trying to deny it, he just made a noise of frustration, pushed his hands back through his hair. They were too damn perceptive, he didn’t want them to know what he had really been doing.

“I’m not going to a safe house,” He said, trying to sound measured and calm so they wouldn’t freak out anymore. Gueira still looked like he was about ready to drag Lio bodily somewhere else if he needed to. “I’m not in any dangerI have leverage. He’s not going to retaliate against me as long as I do.”

“You made contact and didn’t tell us? _ ” _ Meis hissed, and that he was upset like this too was making Lio’s nerves even more frazzled.

“Why do you think I had that check-in set up? You two knew I was looking into him.” If they wanted to lead him down on a guilt trip, Lio could spit right back.

“That was weeks ago! You should have clued us in, we could have been helping you take this bastard down!”

“Can you two  _ stop _ ?” LIo asked forcefully, voice just a hair above too loud for the tiny apartment. “I can take care of myself, and you both damn well know that.”

“You’re right.” Meis’ voice was softer, this time, just a little. Lio knew he had gotten his point across to at least one of them. Gueira didn’t look as convinced, but he finally crossed his arms and huffed out a muffled agreement.

“I’m glad we’re all in agreement,” Lio said, voice measured. There was a moment of tension between them. It wouldn’t take much for Lio to just throw them out, he was on high enough alert anyway, without having to worry about them or what they would think of him if they found out what exactly had been going on.

“Anyway, is it safe to order take out?” Gueira asked, after a heavy moment. LIke that, the tension was cut, as Gueira peered over disapprovingly at Lio’s abandoned noodles. As if he was one to judge.

Lio rolled his eyes, “If it's the Chinese place down the street. Sesame chicken. Egg rolls.  _ And _ crab rangoon.”

“Disgusting,” Meis sneered, already pulling out his phone out and scrolling to the number saved in his phone. 

“I think you mean delicious,” Lio corrected, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a beer or each of them, “It’s a roulette day,” he added, handing a different one to each of them before sinking into his desk chair to look at something on the screen. 

“Damn, you must be hard up if you’re not even making beer runs,” Gueira said with a whistle, ignoring Meis shushing him while he ordered for them. 

“Do you want to go get beer for me?” Lio asked sweetly, giving him a look over his shoulder while he checked on some of the alerts he had set up on Kray. As far as he could tell, the bastard still hadn’t checked his bank account. Utterly ridiculous.

“Fuck, no. I’m not your lackey.” Gueira propped his feet on the coffee table, boots and all, as if to prove a point.

“I mean, you kind of are  _ sometimes _ ,” Lio said, as if that usually included Gueira doing his grocery shopping. Lio wasn’t sure that Gueira had been in a grocery store, maybe ever. If he had to bet, Meis did all the shopping, if they weren’t living off of pizza from the place on the first floor of their building.

“Not the point. Anyways, if you won’t talk to us about Foresight--” Gueira waved off Lio’s sharp look, “What  _ else _ have you been up to? We’re getting bored, there’s gotta be something interesting going on in your life if you’re ignoring us. New pet project? New person? Spill.”

“Yeah. It’s not like you to cut us out like that. We  _ were _ worried,” Meis said, depositing himself on the couch next to Gueira now that the takeout had been ordered.

“I’m sorry. I have been . . . wrapped up, I guess,” Lio said, and he might feel a little bad about it. But he  _ was _ trying to protect them.

“It’s fine. But Gueira’s gotta be right, spill.” 

“There was someone,” Lio admits, cautiously, because they know him well enough to know that, clearly. “We saw each other a few times.”

“And?”

“And what? I’m not giving you details about my sex life.”

“Oh so you had sex? Boss, how scandalous.” 

“Shove it,” Lio muttered, ignoring the way his cheeks flushed a little at the teasing, taking a sip of the beer to hide it.

“Did you use protection? Meis, Meis, do we need to give him the talk? Guess it's better late than never.” Gueira seemed very amused with himself, hitting his boyfriend in the arm for emphasis as he teased. 

Lio would be more bothered by it if he didn’t know Gueira, or if they hadn’t all fucked once upon a time. But that had certainly been a while ago. For a moment, it had seemed like they might have fallen into something, the three of them. But Lio extricated himself from it before it could really cement. He left the city with some bullshit excuse, and when he came back, they fell back into an easy enough friendship, but nothing else. 

“Can you make him stop?” Lio complained, looking pointedly at Meis, who simply put a hand over Gueira’s mouth, like that would do anything but encourage him. 

“I think what my immature half means to say, is ‘congratulations’ on finally getting laid again.”

“Oh fuck off, not you too, it hadn’t been that long,” Lio said with a huff, and a dour look. Meis shrugged it off, not at all bothered.

“I just call it like I see it. He’s right, though.”

“Why did I let you two come over here? Why didn’t I kick you out?” Lio muttered, sitting up like a lightning bolt when one of the notifications on his phone pinged. 

“Oh, is it more serious than just a fuck?” Gueira teased, craning over as if he could actually get a look at Lio’s phone from across the room while he checked the messages. Lio just glared while he typed in the passcode, checking the alert. It was just a security notice, a false alarm, really. Someone was at Kray’s place--Lio couldn’t make out if it was anyone familiar in the camera without studying it more closely, and he didn’t want to risk that with Gueira and Meis here. He just sat the phone back down, irritated.

When was Kray going to make his next move?

“It’s not,” Lio insisted, but they were like rabid dogs, once they thought they had the scent of blood in the air.

“Hmm, friends with benefits?” Meis wasn’t going to let Gueira have all the fun, at least he wasn’t teasing as outright as Gueira was. They were both impossible though.

“No it’s . . .” Lio trailed off, he didn’t want to talk about it, but they would keep pestering him about it all day if he didn’t give them  _ something _ . They were his friends and they had been worried, and it’s not like they didn’t deserve to know what was going on in his life, even if he couldn’t give them all the sordid details.

“Complicated?” Their voices came out in an eerie unison. God, it was weird when they did that.

“Yes,” Lio said, rolling his eyes, “I don’t know how to talk about it. If I did, I’d tell you.”

“How do you not know how to talk about it? Jeeze, boss, how complicated can it be? Is he married or something?”

“What? No. I wouldn’t do that!” Lio snapped, crossing his arms as  _ Meis _ gave him a look indicating disbelief, “Fine, it was  _ once _ and  _ that _ was messy and I meant it when I said I wasn’t going to do it again.”

“Alright, so then what’s so complicated about this if he’s not married?”

Lio paused, knowing that he really needed to be careful here. Meis and Gueira, for all that they could be over eager, actually were quite bright. If he let too much slip they would figure it out--if they hadn’t already. This was another minefield to walk through--as if he hadn’t been dealing with those enough lately.

“I guess it comes down to he’s bad at conversation,” Lio said, thinking of how quick Kray was to berate him. That certainly was an understatement to say the least.

“Are you really worried about his conversation skills?” 

“I mean, it’s definitely not how he is in bed that’s the problem.” If they wanted to hear the salacious details, they weren’t going to get them, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t talk about things in the abstract as long as they didn’t get too curious.

“Yeah?”

“I mean, he’s got a big dick. Like, really big. And he knows how to use it,” Lio admitted, almost fondly. It was hard to take the sex out of the context of everything else--but it definitely  _ was _ good on its own. That was  _ why _ it was so complicated, though. 

The sex was good, Lio  _ had _ to admit that much. It was glaringly obvious that he begrudgingly enjoyed it, by now. As much as he wanted to admit that he didn’t, there was no way to avoid it. Otherwise he wouldn’t be here sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting for Kray’s next move. 

There were two layers to this whole thing--the sex, and taking down Kray without getting his own ass into even deeper shit. He  _ probably _ had enough to get him, but the question was how much more could he get? How much deeper could he dig Kray’s grave, without digging one for himself right next to it?

And how much could he just stop and enjoy the perks of Kray thinking that Lio was going to buy into whatever it was that  _ he _ was planning, along the way? Lio glanced at the leather jacket. Kray was definitely learning more of his tastes, Lio couldn’t deny that there were more perks than just the sex, if Kray kept that up.

“Earth to boss. Dick that good that you’re distracted even now? Damn.” 

“Oh shut up,” Lio looked away, Gueira was too smug--he hadn’t been spaced out  _ that _ much. He wondered if maybe he had played his hand a little too far, here, too “When’s the food getting here, anyway?”

Meis looked down at his phone, checking the time, “Should be the next little bit. They said they were backed up.” 

“Fuck, I want my rangoons.” Lio finished off his beer, looking down at it sadly. It was one of the last good ones that he had. He glanced back at his monitor, just to check, and went to go back over to the fridge, surveying it’s sad contents to pluck out a pitiful beer. “You two good?” 

“I’m running low!” Gueira called back, as Meis replied that he was set. Lio picked out another beer, and gave Gueira his least favorite of the two on his way back. Usually, Lio would be self-sacrificing here, but Gueira was being nosey and he deserved it.

“Hey, you’re not going anywhere,” Gueira said, pulling Lio down onto the couch before he could walk back over to the computer. It wasn’t like it was hard--even though Gueira was just as lanky as he was. He was deceptively strong though, and also had Meis’ help, as they manhandled him until he was sitting between the two of them.

“You’re lucky I hadn’t opened my beer yet,” Lio said, pretending to glare as he swung his legs over Meis and leaned back against Gueira.

Gueira just rolled his eyes, “Uh huh. What are you gonna do, kick us out because you spilled a little beer?”

“Maybe. You’ve done nothing but harass me since you got here, you might deserve it.”

“And you’ve left us in the dark for ages. Just deserts, boss.”

“Fine. So we’re even, now.”

“Even,” Meis and Gueira both agreed. Lio relaxed a little, a bit of tension he hadn’t even been conscious of carrying bleeding out of his shoulders. He had felt a little bad. He didn’t want to keep things from them--just. He wanted them to be safe, and if they knew everything, they would get into shit, too. Maybe not exactly how Lio was, but probably worse.

“I’m sorry,” Lio finally said, a long moment later, “I should have said something. I didn’t know you two were worried.”

“Just don’t go dark on us again, yeah?” Gueira wrapped an arm around him, for good measure. 

“Even if you don’t wanna tell us everything, we still wanna hear from you,” Meis added.

“I’ll try not to do it again.” It was hard to make promises--he knew he could get caught up in things. But he could do a better job of it.

“Look, don’t worry about it too much. We just wanted to remind you that we’re here for you, and we care about what’s going on with you.” 

“I appreciate it.” And Lio really did--but it almost made him feel more guilty about everything--if it weren’t for the comforting warmth of the both of them, he might dwell on that more. But they  _ had _ been here for him, through a lot, even when he made dumb mistakes. Sure, they might never let him live them down, but it never seemed to drive them away, or even chip at this unflinching loyalty that he didn’t know if he deserved.

Cutting through the moment, and piercing the silence--the doorbell rang. Lio’s heart rate spiked, jumping for a moment before he remembered their food was on the way. Still. He had  _ just _ gotten comfortable. Meis started to get up to go for it, but Lio peeled himself away, “I’ve got it.”

Lio knew, logically, what to expect at the door. But as he grabbed his wallet and walked to the door, his heart was racing--what if it was something from Kray, another gift. What would he do--how would he hide it or explain it--it wasn’t like the boxes were subtle enough to write it off as any old internet package. They had all had that stupidly precise and gaudy elegance of Foresight’s style about them.

Yet, when he answered the door, he was almost disappointed when it was just the delivery person, from the Chinese place down the street. Lio smiled and made small talk and paid the man and tipped generously, but his stomach was still flipping, strangely. Was he really disappointed? Was he that desperate?

Lio took a deep breath before he came back inside with the food. He couldn’t do this--he owed Meis and Gueira more than his split attention for the rest of the evening. They were going to eat Chinese and get drunk, maybe play some video games or watch some C-level horror movie on the internet. He was going to banish Kray Foresight from his mind for the rest of the evening, and he was going to do  _ normal things _ .

“Rangoon is here!” Lio said, hoping that the eagerness in his voice wasn’t too forced as he plopped the bag onto the coffee table in front of them.

“I can’t believe you eat that shit.”

“Shut up Meis, it’s delicious.” Lio said, already looking for the cartoon of them so he could get one before they both quit lying to themselves and ate them all.

“Uh huh.”

“Gueira, put something on the tv,” Lio said, shoving the remote at him before he finished lining up the cartons of food and distributing them in front of their respective owners.

“Anything you say, boss,” Not acting the least bit put upon, even though he probably could get away with it right now.

“Gueira, I swear to god if you put--”

“Sharknado it is,” He said, with a grin that looked rather sharkish itself. 

“I don’t think I have enough alcohol if this is where the day is going,” Lio said, shoving a crab rangoon in his mouth.

“I  _ told _ you we should’ve brought some weed,” Meis said, reaching over Lio to try to grab the remote, “C’mon Gueira.”

“Hey--no! Lio told me to put something on, I get to pick then. Thems the rules!” Gueira protested, reaching out opposite them as he navigated over to the ‘Favorites’ section to put his film of choice on. 

It wasn’t like Lio, or Meis, was actually mad. It was part of the routine, part of settling back into familiar territory. A reassurance, that everything was still fine and normal and that nothing had actually changed between them. 

It was easier than Lio expected, to settle back in between them, and relax. The utter absurdity of the movie (and the delicious taste of unfrozen food), was enough to distract him from any other thoughts nagging at the edge of his brain. There was another movie--a trip to the corner store for some more beer, and then another movie or three.

But then--

“We should head back home,” Meis finally said to Gueira, as he stood up. He didn’t look guilty until he caught the slip of Lio’s face, and then he looked hesitant, to move away.

Lio just smiled, trying for fondness, “Go on. I have shit to do in the morning, anyway and you two sleep all day.”

“Oh, fuck off, do not.” Gueira muttered--a little more drunk than Lio or Meis, but none of them were that far gone, really. It had just been a warm, comfortable buzz.

“Yes, we do,” Meis said, putting an arm around Gueira, for good measure, as he pulled him up, “And we’re not gonna get in Lio’s way, so we’re going home.”

“Alright, alright,” If he had been that reluctant in the first place, it hardly showed. Gueira went to the door with Meis easily enough. “But you’re gonna actually talk to us, no more of this in the dark bullshit, right?”

“Right,” Lio said, smiling. “You two go on.”

“We’ll talk to you soon,” Meis said, on the way out, giving Lio a meaningful look.

“You will. Don’t worry about me.” Lio said, ushering them out. He watched them make it out to the side walk. When they got into an uber, he finally went back in and locked the door behind them. 

Cartons of leftovers were strewn on the coffee table in between empty bottles and cans. Credits still rolling from the last movie.

His apartment didn’t usually feel this big. 

But he didn’t want to dwell on that--he closed the boxes and put what was left in the fridge, grabbing the rest to dump in the trash. He cleaned up as much as he could, and started towards the bedroom. 

He paused for a moment at his computer, and then finally sat down. Might as well check on things before he went to bed, always a chance that Kray could have gotten up to something while he was distracted.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this wasn't even porn. next time, which will hopefully be considerably sooner: more porn, more sugar, more kray.

**Author's Note:**

> the dubious consent tags refer to coerced/blackmailed sex in the first chapter. the relationship will be incredibly unhealthy and mutually manipulative throughout the fic. it may get slightly better, but most likely will really not. i tried to be as accurate with tagging as possible, and i did go ahead and tag for some things i anticipate may be in future chapters, as well. tags will be continuously updated as necessary.
> 
> on a lighter note, i am very aware that this is a poor depiction of hacking and i don't care. its not about how computers work or how rich people guarantee their personal safety, its about the sex, lets be real.  
this fic is dedicated to you know who who helped me come up with it.


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